FOLLOW UP: Beaver River School District tweaks policy barring outside food and drinks in class rooms

LEWIS COUNTY- In the wake of a local student receiving consequences for bringing coffee into a North Country area classroom, district officials have made some adjustments to the new policy.

As previously reported, Beaver River Central School honors student, Julie Kaputa, was made to serve an in-school suspension over violating a new school code.

Her offense? Bringing coffee into the classroom and once word got out, the district was battered with criticism from folks lashing out on social media.

Meanwhile, the whole ordeal has since gained the attention from major news and social media outlets.

For context, Beaver River School Superintendent, Todd Green, first told news reporters how the new policy in question was intended to encourage a distraction free learning environment in the classroom by banning any outside food and or beverages.

On the other hand, Julie and her family argued if the new code was even valid in the first place, going on to claim there was never a proper public hearing on the matter.

Superintendent Green countered that claim by stating their monthly board meeting in August was technically considered a public hearing, but since the blow up, the school board voted Monday night during their latest meeting to amend this new policy.

According to the latest reports from WWNY-TV, teachers will now decide on a case by case basis whether to allow outside food and drinks in their classrooms.

Kaputa told reporters that she brought coffee into the classroom as an “act of civil disobedience” to bring the public hearing issue into light.

It is reported that the school board took all responses regarding this scenario to heart.

BRCSD image.