Court Dismisses Student’s Lawsuit Against The Ursuline School

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — A state Supreme Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a former Ursuline school student who was expelled for violating the school's prohibition against violence.

Justice David Zuckerman ruled that the 15-year-old student's claims that the Ursuline School breached its contract with the student and treated her unfairly lacked merit. Zuckerman cited specific portions of the school's Code of Conduct noting that violence or the threat of violence on or off campus would be grounds for many types of disciplinary actions, including expulsion.

“Ursuline has the right to expel a student who engages in violence off campus even when the incident is not at a school-related event/activity,” wrote Zuckerman in his decision.

SEE ALSO: Ursuline Faces New $1 Million Lawsuit Over Expulsion Of Student

The expulsion resulted from a fight at The Westchester mall in White Plains, during the 2020-2021 school year, in which the expelled Ursuline student was involved in a physical altercation with another female teenager from a different school. Ursuline officials only became aware of the fight in late 2021 after learning of the existence of a video of the attack.

“Our Student/Parent Handbook makes it clear that any use of force or violence even off campus is a serious disciplinary infraction and will not be tolerated," Ursuline President Colleen Melnyk said, praising the judge's decision. "We wish to emphasize that we do not take expulsion lightly. After review of the specific circumstances, acting in the best interests of our students, the administration had no choice but to take this action. We are grateful that the court has upheld our actions in this matter."

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