Charges have been filed against two Massachusetts parents and their teenage child after the family hosted a party at their home that eventually led the town’s high school to shift to remote learning.
The parents and the teen from Sudbury, Massachusetts are facing criminal charges for violating the state’s social host law, NBC News reports. Sudbury police chief Scott Nix said that according to the law, “whoever furnishes alcohol” to underage drinkers can be hit with a fine of up to $2,000, be jailed for up to a year, or both. The adults have been charged with a misdemeanor, while the child was charged in juvenile court.
The event, which took place on Sept. 12, made headlines when the Boston suburb’s board of health revealed in a press release that the police dispersed a “large party involving approximately 50-60 Lincoln-Sudbury High School students.” The statement didn’t say if the gathering was indoors or outdoors.
“The police reported the students were not wearing masks or practicing social distancing,” the release said. When police arrived at the scene, some of the teens took off into the woods or gave false information to the officers.
While there is “no known positive COVID cases involving these students at the time of this release,” there was also inadequate information on who went to the party, meaning “the risk to the school community cannot be adequately assessed,” the board of health said.
“As a result, the Board of Health and Lincoln Sudbury Regional School High School (LSRHS), in consultation with the school physician, collectively decided to delay in-person learning," the board added.
The high school was set to open on Sept. 15, when it would employ a hybrid model of in-person and virtual learning. However, the party has forced the school to remain remote for the following 14 days.
Lincoln-Sudbury Superintendent Bella Wong told families she was “profoundly disappointed at this sudden change of plans,” particularly “after the intensity of hard work and planning that has been done to be able to start school with students in-person,” according to NBC Boston.
