diff --git a/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/teacher/management/RemoveStudentRunController.java b/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/teacher/management/RemoveStudentRunController.java
index 04133934e..751508462 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/teacher/management/RemoveStudentRunController.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/teacher/management/RemoveStudentRunController.java
@@ -33,6 +33,9 @@ public void removeStudent(Authentication auth, @PathVariable Long runId,
     Run run = runService.retrieveById(runId);
     if (runService.hasWritePermission(auth, run)) {
       User studentUser = userService.retrieveById(studentId);
+      if (!studentUser.isStudent()) {
+        throw new AccessDeniedException("User does not have permission to remove this user");
+      }
       studentService.removeStudentFromRun(studentUser, run);
     } else {
       throw new AccessDeniedException("User does not have permission to remove student from run");
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/teacher/management/RemoveStudentRunControllerTest.java b/src/test/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/teacher/management/RemoveStudentRunControllerTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ea4f36343
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/java/org/wise/portal/presentation/web/controllers/teacher/management/RemoveStudentRunControllerTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+package org.wise.portal.presentation.web.controllers.teacher.management;
+
+import static org.easymock.EasyMock.expect;
+import static org.easymock.EasyMock.replay;
+import static org.easymock.EasyMock.verify;
+import static org.junit.Assert.fail;
+
+import org.easymock.EasyMockExtension;
+import org.easymock.Mock;
+import org.easymock.TestSubject;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.extension.ExtendWith;
+import org.springframework.security.access.AccessDeniedException;
+import org.wise.portal.presentation.web.controllers.APIControllerTest;
+import org.wise.portal.service.student.StudentService;
+
+@ExtendWith(EasyMockExtension.class)
+public class RemoveStudentRunControllerTest extends APIControllerTest {
+
+  @TestSubject
+  private RemoveStudentRunController controller = new RemoveStudentRunController();
+
+  @Mock
+  private StudentService studentService;
+
+  private void replayServices() {
+    replay(runService, studentService, userService);
+  }
+
+  private void verifyServices() {
+    verify(runService, studentService, userService);
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void removeStudent_NoWritePermission_ThrowAccessDenied() throws Exception {
+    expect(runService.retrieveById(runId1)).andReturn(run1);
+    expect(runService.hasWritePermission(teacherAuth, run1)).andReturn(false);
+    replayServices();
+    try {
+      controller.removeStudent(teacherAuth, runId1, student1Id);
+      fail("Expected AccessDeniedException to be thrown");
+    } catch (AccessDeniedException e) {
+    }
+    verifyServices();
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void removeStudent_TargetUserIsTeacher_ThrowAccessDenied() throws Exception {
+    expect(runService.retrieveById(runId1)).andReturn(run1);
+    expect(runService.hasWritePermission(teacherAuth, run1)).andReturn(true);
+    expect(userService.retrieveById(teacher2Id)).andReturn(teacher2);
+    replayServices();
+    try {
+      controller.removeStudent(teacherAuth, runId1, teacher2Id);
+      fail("Expected AccessDeniedException to be thrown");
+    } catch (AccessDeniedException e) {
+    }
+    verifyServices();
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void removeStudent_Student_RemoveStudentFromRun() throws Exception {
+    expect(runService.retrieveById(runId1)).andReturn(run1);
+    expect(runService.hasWritePermission(teacherAuth, run1)).andReturn(true);
+    expect(userService.retrieveById(student1Id)).andReturn(student1);
+    studentService.removeStudentFromRun(student1, run1);
+    replayServices();
+    controller.removeStudent(teacherAuth, runId1, student1Id);
+    verifyServices();
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Both steps of removeStudentFromRun are scoped to the run, so a student who is not in the run
+   * is left untouched. Rejecting them here instead would turn a repeated removal into an error,
+   * and would leave a student who is still in a workgroup but no longer in a period with no way
+   * to be cleaned up.
+   */
+  @Test
+  public void removeStudent_StudentNotInRun_RemoveStudentFromRun() throws Exception {
+    expect(runService.retrieveById(runId1)).andReturn(run1);
+    expect(runService.hasWritePermission(teacherAuth, run1)).andReturn(true);
+    expect(userService.retrieveById(student2Id)).andReturn(student2);
+    studentService.removeStudentFromRun(student2, run1);
+    replayServices();
+    controller.removeStudent(teacherAuth, runId1, student2Id);
+    verifyServices();
+  }
+}