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Court Dismisses Lawsuit Filed By Former Student Against School In Region

A state Supreme Court justice dismissed a lawsuit filed by a former student at a Westchester County school who was expelled for getting into a fight at a shopping mall.

Ursuline School in New Rochelle

Ursuline School in New Rochelle

Photo Credit: Ursuline School/Thompson & Bender

Justice David Zuckerman ruled that Ursuline School had the right to expel the 15-year-old student, and the student's claim that the school treated them unfairly and breached its contract with the student didn't have merit, representatives for the school announced on Tuesday, July 12. 

“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,” Zuckerman said in his decision.

The student was expelled following a fight at The Westchester in White Plains, which involved the student and another teenager who was not an Ursuline student, representatives said. 

School officials learned about the fight in late 2021 after finding out about a video of the incident.

“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 in the announcement. "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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