WACO, Texas — A Baylor student filed a lawsuit against Baylor University seeking a refund for her tuition for the spring semester and money she paid for her meal plan.
Baylor moved all learning online in March due to the outbreak of COVID-19.
Allison King's suit claims a classroom and campus education is more valuable than an online one.
Students were required to pay full tuition for the Spring 2020 semester and Baylor did not take into account the difference in value between the college experience the school is now offering compared to what students were promised, according to the suit.
Baylor did provide credits for unused meal plans and dining dollars but King said students are entitled to a refund so that money can be used as they see fit.
"These cases are about basic fairness. Colleges and universities are not unlike any other business in America and they too have to tighten their belts during this unprecedented time," Attorney Roy Willey with the Anastopoulo Law Firm said. They are not any more entitled to keep money for services they are not delivering than the mom and pop bakery on Main Street."
The suit asks "Baylor to return prorated amounts for tuition, fees and meal plan payments paid by King and other class members as described herein and to be proven at trial."
Baylor issued a statement in response to the lawsuit Thursday morning.
“Baylor University stands by the decisions that were made during the spring semester as part of an unprecedented time for our country and all of higher education," the statements reads. "In a time where businesses and other organizations shut their doors from coast to coast, Baylor stepped up on behalf of our students through many unique, creative and sacrificial ways to fulfill our mission and provide educational services during a pandemic not experienced in more than 100 years.”
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