A disabled student has filed a federal lawsuit against Boston University, claiming the private school suspended her after failing to provide an alternative to its weekly COVID-19 testing requirement that fit her medical needs.
Caitlin Corrigan alleges in the complaint, filed March 23 in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts, that the university violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by offering “only one protocol for this testing requirement” that did not allow her any clear appeal “despite the widespread availability of alternative methods of Covid testing.”
The policy on the school’s website states that “once weekly community testing and testing upon arrival to campus will continue to be required for all faculty, staff, affiliates, and students who come to campus.”
Ms. Corrigan, a graduate theology student in training to become a minister, says she sought an alternative testing method last fall by providing documentation of a disabling medical condition that she does not wish to disclose publicly.
“Although this disabling condition does not affect her ability to pursue her degree at Boston University, her doctors have advised her that she will likely experience significant harm if she submits to the single University-approved Covid testing method,” the complaint states.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, a declaratory judgment that Boston University broke the law and compulsion of future legal compliance.
A Boston University spokeswoman declined to comment on the lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, the university also barred her from participating in classes remotely and locked her out of its electronic network after she failed to get tested.
Reached Tuesday for comment, Ms. Corrigan noted that the university first acted against her one day after a Sept. 18 article in the Boston Globe that profiled her efforts to help fellow students get religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccine requirements.
“It is clear that Boston University retaliated against me for being outspoken against vaccine mandates,” Ms. Corrigan said.
For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.
• Sean Salai can be reached at ssalai@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.