A University of Georgia professor resigned in the middle of teaching a class after an anti-mask student refused to wear her mask properly.
According to the university newspaper, the Red & Black Irwin Bernstein, 88, had come out of retirement to start teaching again. Bernstein, who has Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and other age-related problems which puts him at a higher risk of developing severe complications from COVID, had a ‘No mask, No class’ policy. So, when a student showed up to his class without a mask and refused to wear one that was offered correctly, he resigned.
Bernstein told the Red & Black that on the first day every student complied with his policy. On the second day, a student that never attended class the first day showed up without a mask. He asked her to put one on and she was given one by a fellow student. But she refused to wear it over her nose, complaining she couldn’t breathe. She also ignored Bernstein when he asked her to wear the mask properly so he could continue teaching the psychology seminar.
At that point Bernstein announced he was resigning and left the class within the first fifteen minutes.
“Whereas I had risked my life to defend my country while in the Air Force, I was not willing to risk my life to teach a class with an unmasked student during this Pandemic,” he told the paper in an email. “Resignation was an all or none decision … I felt some relief as I had been getting more concerned as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded in recent weeks,” Bernstein said.
“Professor Bernstein said, ‘That’s it. I’m retired,’ and we watched him pack all of his papers into his bag and walk out of the classroom,” a student said.
UGA encourages students to wear a mask but they do not mandate it since Georgia law does not allow it.
“I am sorry that the pandemic has caused so much dissension. I personally do not agree that stimulating the economy is more important than people’s lives and am disappointed that some people feel that it is,” Bernstein said.
Good on him and a pox on the student!