Party Seriously Messes Things Up for One High School

A Massachusetts high school is in remote-learning mode for its first two weeks all thanks to a party. And now the parents and teen who played host are facing criminal charges. The charges aren't COVID-related; rather, NBC News reports the Sudbury family is accused of supplying underage drinkers with alcohol. Under state law, they can be fined up to $2,000 or sentenced to up to a year. Police say as many as 60 Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School High School students attended the Sept. 11 bash in the Boston suburb, and when police broke it up, many of them ran into the woods; 13 supplied false names, reports NBC Boston. They also weren't wearing masks or social distancing, per police, and that led the board of health to take a big step.

The board said that because they don't actually know who attended the party, it was impossible for them to verify there were no positive cases among partygoers. As such, "the risk to the school community cannot be adequately assessed." And so instead of beginning the school year with a hybrid of in-person and remote learning on Sept. 15, it began 14 days of all-remote learning. Lincoln-Sudbury Superintendent Bella Wong expressed that she was "profoundly disappointed at this sudden change of plans." CBS Boston quotes Wong as saying the "crowded indoor and outdoor party" featured a "complete lack of safety precautions to protect against the spread of COVID." Turns out this wasn't an isolated event: MassLive reports Dover-Sherborn Regional High School, located just 16 miles to the north of Lincoln-Sudbury High, also went remote after an even bigger student-attended party. (More coronavirus stories.)