One maskless photo at an off-campus party has cost three students at UMass Amherst their entire spring semester.

The three female freshmen were attending an off-campus party when they snapped the maskless photo, which was posted on Instagram.

It's not clear when the party took place, though one student has a clover on her shirt and many students are wearing green, suggesting it could date back to St. Patrick's Day.

A party known as the 'Blarney Blowout' is typically thrown at the school during March.

The three students have since been suspended from UMass Amherst, which may only be the beginning of their disciplinary problems at school.

The three students have not yet been publicly identified.

School administrators received the photo from an unknown source, which is what led to the students' punishment.

'There was a photo sent to the administration of these girls outside off campus on a Saturday,' said Kristin, a parent of one of the suspended students, according to CBS Boston.

The students had been studying remotely since their suspension was issued, but all were banned from virtual learning last week.

They also were not allowed to take their finals or apply for housing next year, putting their academic futures into question.

'That negates this whole semester $16,000 of money and they have to reapply for next semester,' said Scott, another parent of a suspended student.

In a statement, UMass Amherst defended their punishment of the three students.

'Students received a number of public health messages this semester that emphasized the importance of following public health protocols and the consequences for not complying, and those messages were also shared on UMass social media channels,' the school said.

The parents aren't going down without a fight, however, and have hired a lawyer with designs on filing a lawsuit. They cite the support of a state senator.

'These beautiful young ladies who are honors students have had a full academic year stripped away and their paths broken of their higher education for alleged COVID violations,' an anonymous parent added to WCVB.

UMass Amherst has issued some of the most strict coronavirus guidelines in the country.

In early February, the school told students to stay home outside of getting meals, COVID testing, or other medical appointments.

They also halted in-person classes and put an end to student social gatherings at the time.

That did not stop students from getting together entirely, however, with 'egregious violations of policy' taking place in early March.

'Sadly, it has happened again—a group of students flagrantly flouted the rules over the weekend,' a message from Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life Brandi Hephner LaBanc read on March 8.

LaBanc stated that a group of 200 students 'gathered in violation of university policy, town expectations, and state public health mandates.'

Students who were able to be identified from the gathering were set to be issued interim suspensions.

But the school opened itself up to accusations of hypocrisy after hosting a celebration for the men's hockey team in April after they won the national championship.

Video from the school's hockey team on Instagram shows a crowd gathering to interact with the players upon their return to campus.

'The university hosted a parade/event to celebrate the UMass hockey team's national championship win, violating every single one of violations they accuse these girls of,' one of the parents said.

UMass Amherst has had over 2,500 positive COVID-19 tests since August 6, reaching its height in early February, after which the new restrictions kicked in.

Currently, the school reports just 16 active cases as of Friday.