Below is the official press release from the Newport-Mesa School District regarding the story posted yesterday about the elementary school boy suspended from school for having kombucha tea in his lunchbox which school administration deemed with no testing or due diligence to violate the district’s drug and alcohol policy.
It appears that the school must fear the legal ramifications of their over the top reaction as they are spinning the story already.
The statement insists that the child was not suspended and no disciplinary action was taken.
You call keeping a child in the school office for the entire day, interrogating him about where/when he obtained this “illegal” beverage, telling him he may have to transfer to another school, attempting to sign him up for a youth alcoholics program and then having him sign a 5 day suspension notice “no disciplinary action?”
Revoking the suspension does NOT mean the suspension and interrogation somehow never happened! And, Police Officers in uniform (per a statement from the child’s mother who had another meeting yesterday – this time with the Principal) were called into the office to assist with the child’s possibly illegal interrogation since the child was questioned about any medicines he was taking etc and there was no attorney or parent/guardian present. Whether or not the officers were already on campus is immaterial.
I do hope the parents consider legal action to be played out in a court of law. A very strong possibility exists that their rights and that of their son were horribly violated and doing nothing just ensures that this type of abuse will continue.
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.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
interrogation sounds so much nicer when you call it a “discovery process” it sounds less intimidating.
A friend recently told me of your website. I am so glad to have found another community of like-minded individuals, who are interested in nourishing their families the healthiest way possible.
Guess the school can’t have ripe bananas then either, since they have an alcohol content as well…
The one year my boys were in school, I would send a mixture of K-tea and organic juice (I was working on getting them to like the stronger flavor). I never told the teacher. I put it in a Kleen Kanteen. I was not hiding anything. I just made it myself so did not have the bottle with the “label of alcohol” content (which is a joke…and done only to make the govt happy). The only problem is, if my boys did not finish it or bring it home, it would get a new scoby growing in it. I think the school’s reaction was from ignorance of what Kombucha is and was their knee jerk reaction. Hopefully they are educated now and will allow it. It is one of the many reasons I do not send my kids to Public school.
Also, I’m glad the schools system is responding to your article Sarah. Thank you for doing it, and I encourage others to work as hard on their blogs as you do, to have the reach and the power!
Their treatment of the boy was pure BULLYING, which of course they are trying to stop in the schools. Little did they realize that they model that behavior.
That’s a Guiness glass. And does he look tipsy? 🙂
Sarah, thank you for sharing this story. It’s unfortunate an elementary school child has to give so many adults an education in common sense, real food, and a bit of culture.
That’s why I blog because stories like this would never get covered in the LA Times. This stuff HAS to get out there. People don’t realize this sort if idiocy is going on and they need to be prepared if they are bucking the establishment line by eating REAL, Traditional foods as my family does and the mother of this boy in the Newport-Mesa school district.
Wow thats the biggest rat story I ever heard! Doesn’t the label, by new law, have to saw possibly up to xxx% alcohol?
This is a horrid thing!
And the school was trying to use scare tactics on a little boy to get him to confess like he was some career criminal and even then its frowned upon! Are they serious?
“School Policy” is in place so school officials don’t have to think. Much easier for them that way. Doubtless they went through the public schools’ brain-draining system themselves.
The absolute most that should have happened is they take the tea, call the parents and inform them that school policy forbids any alcohol in any form. I doubt the tea even had any and the label only says it does, just in case.
That, of course, would require some brains.
Your comment seems a bit inflammatory. I agree the school is wrong! I help parents like this all the time. I make sure they are allowed to feed their kids what they want. This is what I’m talking about! You condemn the system that violates those rights and the persons that champions the parents cause?! But I’m hijacking this post? If my brain has been drained then why do so many home school parents, seek my assistance and those like me when the state over steps their authority. DCS has been called because parents took their kids out of school or because they believe in teaching creationism. Not to mention cases like the Kombucha case above. It happens more than you think. When you need help we’re OK? Yes, I feel obliged to help! So me and my public school education will continue to fight for you public-school-bashing idiots! But I don’t have to silently stand by while ingrates talk shit about a system that gave me the education and the sense of community that drives me to fight the good fight! Just because you have an opinion doesn’t make it a smart one!
One big lesson we should take from this: Always remove the original labeling when you pack your child’s lunch! Sad that this would be necessary.