A high school honors student in Beaver Falls, New York, was suspended on the first day of school after bringing a cup of coffee to class. Julie Kaputa, a senior at Beaver River Central School, said she was unaware that a new rule had been added to the school’s code of conduct, which now prohibits outside food and drinks. “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,'” Kaputa told local news outlet WWNY. As a result, she received an in-school suspension for the violation. The school district had added the new policy to this year’s code of conduct, but Kaputa and her family argue that the rule is not valid. “She said, 'It says there’s supposed to be a public hearing. When was that? We never knew about it. Did they announce it?’” Julie’s mother, MaryAnne Kaputa, told the outlet. The family was unable to find any announcement or notice about the rule change. Despite the suspension, Kaputa said she is not upset with the district and emphasized that the suspension will not appear on her permanent record. However, she is advocating for greater transparency within the school system. Julie expressed concern about the lack of a public hearing for the new rule. “There was no public hearing to discuss it. Transparency in government is a big thing that I care about a lot, and it just kind of struck me as odd that there wasn’t a public hearing,” she said. Todd Green, the district’s superintendent, acknowledged that the August monthly board meeting was considered a public hearing but admitted it was not properly announced. He praised Kaputa for speaking up and said the district will make changes if needed. “We’re trying to do the best we can throughout the process. We know there’s open meeting laws. We try to follow that. If things get pointed out that we need to do and change or fix, we’ll do that,” Green said. The new rule was introduced to create a safer and more distraction-free learning environment for students. In response to the situation, a new public hearing has been scheduled for Monday to address concerns about the rule and the process by which it was implemented. The incident has sparked a broader conversation about student rights, school policies, and the importance of public input in decision-making.