The lunch police have struck again. First, there was the story of a preschooler at West Hoke Elementary School in North Carolina who was given a highly processed, cafeteria lunch containing pink slime chicken nuggets because the school decided that the turkey and cheese sandwich, banana, potato chips, and apple juice her mother packed was not nutritious enough.
Now comes the story of an elementary school boy from Newport Beach, California who was suspended from school this week for the kombucha in his lunchbox that school administration said violated the school district’s drug and alcohol policy.
The boy’s mother contacted me 2 days ago the very afternoon her son was suspended in a plea to help her resolve the situation.
The trouble apparently started because the kombucha drink was packed in a glass bottle which is the appropriate container for this healthy, vitamin and probiotic filled beverage. The mother even took care to safely place the glass bottle in a foam sleeve as I’ve demonstrated in my videos which is exactly what I do for my own children so that if the bottle is dropped, it would not break and cause harm. It is important to note that the mother had sent kombucha to school in her son’s lunch many times before with no problem.
When the lunch police noticed the glass bottle safely tucked into the foam sleeve in the child’s lunchbox, they confiscated it. The next morning, the boy was called into the Vice Principal’s office and interrogated about the drink and where he got it. The school even called in the Police Officer assigned to work with all the schools in the area.
The Police Officer told the boy that the kombucha was illegal and very dangerous if he takes any medications – antibiotics or anything. Then, the officer asked the boy point blank if he takes any medicines.
Most outrageously, the Vice Principal told the boy that he may have to transfer out of that school and that she was looking into it. She even tried to enroll him in an alcoholics class for teens! The boy ended up spending the entire day in the school office and then was suspended for 5 days for violating the school’s drug and alcohol policy. The issue was also reported to the Newport-Mesa School District. Lest the school or the district deny the child was suspended or try to spin the story, the boy did indeed SIGN a 5 day suspension form.
It is important to note that these events took place without the school even attempting to test the alcoholic content of the kombucha or conducting due diligence of any kind which would have revealed that kombucha is a healthy beverage similar to apple cider and clearly not the equivalent of beer or wine.
The child’s distraught mother managed to get a meeting with the school’s Vice Principal the next morning who informed her that the Principal had decided to retract the suspension and not pursue the issue further. The child was then immediately allowed to return to school.
Unfortunately, the incident had already been reported to the Newport-Mesa school district so it is possible that the parents of the boy could face additional disciplinary action if the school district decides to pursue the matter.
The worst aspect of this incident is the extreme embarrassment, emotional trauma and shame the child no doubt experienced for being called out by the lunch police and then interrogated like a criminal the next day by school administration and even a uniformed Police Officer!
When I talked to the Vice Principal on the phone yesterday, she acted as if the incident was minor and that everything had been resolved satisfactorily. What? Giving a child the third degree in the school office with a Police Officer standing by and no parent present to defend him is no minor scene!
This incident could have far reaching implications for the child’s emotional state and could even result in bullying or snide remarks from classmates for years to come!
For all you traditional cooking Moms and Dads out there who also send healthy homemade foods and drinks in your child’s lunch, it may prove worthwhile to have a discussion with your children about this story and what to do should school administration ever harass them about the contents of their lunchbox.
I will keep tabs on this story in the coming days and if the Newport-Mesa School District decides to do something ridiculous like pursue disciplinary action against this family, I will be sure to let you all know so that the phone lines can light up and public pressure exerted to restore sanity to the situation.
**Update: Following the publishing of this article, the Newport-Mesa School District issued a press release regarding this incident. Click here for the full transcript and rebuttal.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
I applaud parents that take responsibility for their families by pulling their children out of the prison system we call schools today.
Home schooling would solve the problem.
Absoultely outrageous! Pursuing this is a must.
MY 7 YEAR OLD SON (IN 1974) TOOK HIS HOME MADE LUNCH TO SCHOOL. HE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH ADD AT THE AGE OF 2 AND WORKED WITH A DOCTOR. THE SCHOOL SYSTEM IGNORED EVERYTHING INCLUDING HIS TREATMENT. THE TEACHER WOULD TAKE HIS LUNCH AWAY AND FEED HIM THE SCHOOL LUNCHES SERVED AND THEN GIVE ME A BILL. HOT DOGS, ALL PROCESSED FOODS, NO FRUIT UNLESS CANNED, FRENCH FRIES NO VEGETABLES….KETCHUP. NOONE LOCAL WOULD ASSIST SO THE AIR FORCE TOOK OVER. THIS WENT ALL THE WAY TO WASHINGTON DC WHO TOOK OVER THE ENTIRE CASE AGAINST THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. I THINK MY SON DESERVED APOLOGY FROM THE PEOPLE INVOLVED AND TODAY HE WOULD BE ABLE TO FIND AN ATTORNEY TO TAKE ON THIS CASE. FORTUNATELY WE MAY BE MAKING PROGRESS IF SOMETHING WAS DONE FOR THE CHILD…AND TO THE SCHOOL. HELP THE CHILDREN NOT ATTACK THEM. DURING THIS TIME I WAS SUFFERING WITH SEVERE BACK PAIN AND SPENT A MONTH IN THE HOSPITAL AND THE LAST WEEK, AFTER THREE WEEKS ON STRICK BEDREST IN A PRIVATE ROOM WITH A COMPLETE BATHROOM BUT I WAS NOT ALLOWED OUT OF BED) WAS GIVEN BED PANS, AND BED BATHS AND BANANAS AT EVERY MEAL AND ORANGES EVEN WHEN THEY WERE NOT LOCALLY REASONABLE TO PURCHASE. AFTER MY OPERATION I LEARNED OF TREATMENT OF MY CHILDREN. KIDS THREW MY ADD CHILD’S SHOES ON THE SCHOOL ROOF AND COULD NOT REACH THEM. MY MOTHER WAS STAYING WITH THEM AT THIS TIME I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL. THE SCHOOL LAUGHED AT HER WHEN SHE WENT AND ASKED FOR THE SHOES. THEY TOLD HER TO LET HIM JUST WEAR ANOTHER PAIR….HE HAD OUTGROWN ALL HIS SHOES AND DID NOT HAVE ANOTHER PAIR TO WEAR AT THAT TIME. PEOPLE ARE BULLIES WHEN THEY ACT LIKE THIS. THE SCHOOL WAS PRIMARILY HIGH RANKING MILITARY OFFICER’S KIDS. THE SCHOOL SYSTEM TRIED TO ”BULLY’ FUNDS FROM THE GOVERNMENT EVEN THOUGH THEY RECEIVED THE HIGHEST RATE CHARGED IN THIS CITY NO MATTER WHAT RANK THE HOUSING AREA ON BASE WAS FOR….LOW RANKING ALL THE WAY TO THE BASE COMMANDER AND THE LARGE MILITARY HOSPITAL COMMANDER ETC…..BUT THEY DID NOT THINK THAT WAS ENOUGH…..I AM GLAD SOMEONE IS FINALLY GETTING THOSE SCHOOLS AND BRINGING OUT THEIR MEANNESS. THEY KNOW BETTER AND I RESENT HOW THEY TREAT CHILDREN.
Dear Sarah and readers, the Newport-Mesa Unified School District has issued a statement regarding this story. I hope this will be helpful to clarify some of the issues and what was and is being done to rectify the perceptions and policies.
Newport-Mesa Unified School District’s Statement Re: Alleged Action of Suspension for Possession of Kombucha Tea Drink
For Immediate Release: Friday, October 12, 2012
Newport-Mesa Unified would like to respond to a recent article posted in The Healthy Home Economist titled, “Child Suspended from School for Kombucha in Lunchbox.”
No disciplinary action was taken and the student was not suspended. The parents of the involved student met with the school principal to discuss and resolve any issues that resulted from Wednesday’s incident.
The issue resulted from the student being in possession of a beverage called, Kombucha, a tea, which states on its label that it contains 0.05 percent alcohol. The substance came to the attention of school officials through other students who reported that a student had alcohol. Having a substance on campus containing any level of alcoholic content is a violation according to District policy.
The article also references police involvement. The Newport Beach Police Department provides two full- time School Resource Officers who work with our Newport Beach and Corona del Mar campuses. Police were not called in specifically for this incident. The SRO was already on campus and participated in a routine discovery process.
All this being said, the incident itself and the perception of how it was handled is something the District is committed to correcting. School districts implement policies and procedures to ensure consistency of practice. For most circumstances, the practices work. However, this was a new situation.
Seeing the need to review some of the practices regarding policies and procedures regarding discipline, the Newport-Mesa Unified School District Board of Education has requested the Superintendent to research programs that would emphasize a more nurturing approach to the discovery process and avoid overly aggressive practices when dealing with the discipline process.
Laura Boss
Director of District Communications
Newport-Mesa Unified School District
[email protected]
Nice words, but I believe the Mom – the student was suspended, until she intervened. Don’t act as if nothing happened to them, I’ve been in a crazy situation like this, and it’s extremely emotional and difficult – the school never admits error and it had long lasting negative impact on my child.
Wow. It was not reported by another student, it was reported by the food police. Also, school police or not…this is an officer employed by the Newport Police Dept. and was in uniform. I don’t appreciate this cover up statement, nor playing down how intimidating a uniformed Police Officer was to my son. The fact that she works with the school is further insulting. They should have never let her harass him!!!
Dear Laura, are you running for a political post next? That yarn of malarkey sounds ripe for some seat on a school board and next, maybe congress. I’m sure you’ll go far. Your “side of the story” paints the mother and child here as lying rule breakers, yet lacks the insight of common sense. This wreaks like PR for a large corporation or celebrity attempting damage control. Furthermore, it’s quite a surprise that the school system would be sending people to an internet blog. Further proof of our tax dollars hard at work. Maybe if y’all educated yourselves on nutrition and did more for the teachers, people such as these fine readers and parents wouldn’t want to devote all the extra hours and loss of their own potential employment to educate their children themselves. We all know how it works. The school gets allotted a certain dollar amount per attending student. That’s what the fuss is about. Unfortunately, if you try to hold a town hall meeting to boost attendance, the parents of the kids already in your care wouldn’t likely show and the same parents who home school will likely have their children out for a cultural event in the evening. Much like our current dueling political administrations, you won’t get my vote. I think your letter and your entire job is a waste of public time and money.
Was this Russian or Japanese kambucha? The Japanese type sounds a bit more appetizing.
I HATE public schools! Thats why I homeschool my children and I know they are getting the best education.
Quick! Hide the yogurt!
Pffff!
This is one of the problems with, for example, the EU’s zero tolerance for drink driving. ANY alcohol in the blood and damn, you are gone. That eliminates the tiny amount of alcohol in most fermented foods, like, the amount you get in ginger beer or, far less in the case of fermented vegetables.