Full Breakdown
Student Suspended for Coffee Sparks Debate Over School Food Policy and Open Meeting Laws
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: In-School Suspension Over a Cup of Coffee
Julie Kaputa, a senior at Beaver River Central School in Beaver Falls, New York, was placed on an in-school suspension after a teacher confronted her for bringing a cup of coffee on her first day of classes. The district cited a newly added “outside food and drink” provision in its 2026-2027 Standards for Community-Wide Conduct, which requires students to finish any food or beverage before entering school premises.
Background & Context: New Outside Food and Drink Rule
The rule was incorporated into the district’s code of conduct earlier this academic year and applies to both middle-school and high-school students.
Official Statements & Responses
Superintendent Todd Green said the August board meeting was intended to satisfy open-meeting requirements, but after speaking with the Kaputa family he acknowledged that the meeting “wasn’t properly announced.” The district noted that the suspension will not appear on Julie Kaputa’s permanent record.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I walked in, I had my coffee with me. I got to my first period class and my teacher said, ‘I’m either going to need you to dump that out or consume it on the spot or go down to the office,’” — Julie Kaputa
- “It’s good to see students standing up for what they believe in. We really appreciate that. That often doesn’t happen,” — Superintendent Todd Green
- “Meeting minutes from both July and August (where the code may have been discussed) were never published to the website until today when I pointed it out to the District Office, and the district office had no record of a public hearing being conducted.” — Mary Anne Kaputa
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
The district initially described the August board meeting as a de facto public hearing, yet Superintendent Green later conceded that the meeting “wasn’t properly announced,” creating a discrepancy between the district’s procedural claim and the family’s account. No public documentation of a formal hearing for the rule has been located, and the district has not released a timeline for when the policy was formally adopted.
What’s Next
A public hearing on the outside food and drink policy is scheduled for September 14, during the next board meeting, where students and community members will be invited to provide input on possible revisions.