A large group of Jewish high school students from New York on their way to a senior class to trip to Atlanta ran into some serious complications: they were kicked off of the plane before it ever left the airport.

Southwest Airlines, which owns the AirTran shuttles the student swere booked on, has confirmed that it made 108 individuals leave the plane prior to takeoff. Those students were from the Yeshiva of Flatbush High School in Brooklyn, N.Y. and were on their way to a senior class trip.

"We take this matter seriously and have started our own investigation," said a statement released Tuesday by Rabbi Seth Linfield, executive director of the Yeshiva of Flatbush school. "Preliminarily, it does not appear that the action taken by the flight crew was justified."

Crew members of the flight contend that the students were being extremely disruptive throughout the preflight phase of the trip, refusing to listen to and follow instructions. One passenger onboard indicated that the crew members gave plenty of warning, and if the students were adults, they would not have been given as many chances.

"Reports from flight attendants and other customers confirm some passengers in the group would not sit down in their seats and some were using their mobile devices. Both are violations of Federal Air Regulations, as well as our policies. The crew, led by the Captain, asked several times that the passengers comply with regulations. The issue ultimately delayed the flight's departure to Atlanta. All members of the group were accommodated on other flights this morning," Southwest said in a statement online.

So far those affiliated with the school are crying foul, stating that they were treated unfairly in comparison to the severity of their actions. Some have even gone so far as to speculate that the motives for their dismissal were racial in nature.

"They treated us like we were terrorists; I've never seen anything like it. I'm not someone to make these kinds of statements," student Jonathan Zehavi said. "I think if it was a group of non-religious kids, the air stewardess wouldn't have dared to kick them off."

So far, Southwest is standing by the actions of its crew members, though it was able to rebook flights for the students, something that is not often done when people are asked to leave after being disorderly on a plane. The students all eventually got to their destination, though it took some as many as 12 hours to do so.