A high school student in New York was suspended on her first day of school after bringing a cup of coffee to class.
Julie Kaputa, a student at Beaver River Central School in Castorland, New York, said she arrived for her first day on September 3 with a latte, only to be confronted by her teacher during her first-period class.
According to Kaputa, the teacher told her she would either have to dump the drink out, consume it immediately or go to the school office.
Kaputa refused to get rid of her coffee and was subsequently given an in-school suspension.
The school said Kaputa had violated its Code of Conduct, which is intended to "create a safe, instruction-focused environment for all students."
The district has a policy covering food and drinks brought onto school grounds from outside. Under the rules, students arriving with food or drinks are asked to finish them before entering the school.
The policy states that the guidelines are intended to minimise distractions, protect students with food allergies and promote a calm and equitable experience for students.
However, Kaputa questioned whether the new rule had been legally adopted, arguing that a public hearing should have taken place before the change could be enforced.
Her mother, Mary Anne Kaputa, also challenged the school's handling of the policy and questioned whether parents had been properly notified about a public hearing.
In a Facebook post, Mary claimed that her daughter had been placed in in-school suspension after refusing to throw away what the school considered a "banned beverage". She also questioned whether the school had followed the required process when introducing the change.
Mary said she could not find evidence that a public hearing had taken place and claimed that meeting minutes from July and August, where the code may have been discussed, had not been published online until she raised the issue with the district office.
The dispute has now prompted the school board to revisit the rules.
According to an update from Mary's Facebook post, the board is due to reconvene on Monday, September 14, for a public hearing concerning the school's food and drink rules.
Students are also expected to have an opportunity to provide input as the relevant section of the Code of Conduct is reconsidered.
What began with one student's morning coffee has therefore turned into a wider debate over how the school's food and drink rules were introduced and whether the policy was properly approved.
The upcoming public hearing will give parents and students an opportunity to raise their concerns and provide feedback on what the rules should look like going forward.
