Cup of Coffee Sparks Controversy at Upstate NY High School

Just a Cup of Coffee?

It was just a cup of coffee, but for an Upstate New York high school senior, it turned into a suspension and eventually a fight over school rules and transparency.

Julie Kaputa, a senior and honors student at Beaver River Central School in Castorland, about two-and-a-half hours northwest of Albany, received an in-school suspension on September 3rd after bringing coffee to class.

According to WWNY, Kaputa arrived at first period with her coffee when a teacher gave her three choices: finish it, dump it, or head to the office. Sources say Kaputa chose the office.

HS senior Julie Kaputa Mary Anne Steiger Kaputa Facebook

Policy Restricts Outside Food and Beverages

The issue was a new school policy restricting outside food and beverages. School officials said the rule was meant to create a safe, distraction-free environment.

Reports also indicate administrators had concerns about students potentially bringing alcohol or THC-infused beverages into school.

But Kaputa's argument quickly became about much more than caffeine.

Did the School Act Appropriately?

According to the sources, she and her mother questioned whether the district had properly followed the public process required before changing its Code of Conduct.

Superintendent Todd Green later acknowledged that while an August board meeting was intended to serve as a public hearing, it wasn't clearly advertised as such.

Kaputa, who reportedly serves as student body president, has described refusing to ditch the coffee as an act of "civil disobedience." Her suspension won't appear on her permanent record.

The controversy led the district to schedule a properly advertised public hearing Monday night, September 14th, to revisit the 2026-27 Student Code of Conduct.

As of early Tuesday morning, we haven't found a confirmed published outcome from that meeting.

All this, over a latte.