The district acknowledged its earlier hearing was not properly announced and scheduled a new public hearing on the student code of conduct.
BEAVER FALLS, N.Y. — A Beaver River Central School senior received an in-school suspension after bringing coffee to class on the first day of school, setting off a dispute over a new rule restricting outside food and drinks and the process the district used to adopt it.
Julie Kaputa, an honors student, was disciplined after arriving at her first-period class with coffee and declining to throw it away or finish it immediately, according to local reporting. The restriction on outside food and beverages was added to the district’s code of conduct for the new school year. Kaputa and her mother, MaryAnne Kaputa, later questioned whether the rule had been properly approved because they could not find evidence that a required public hearing had been clearly announced.
Kaputa said her teacher gave her several choices after noticing the drink: dispose of it, consume it immediately or report to the office. She went to the office and received an in-school suspension. Kaputa said the disciplinary action will not appear on her permanent record. She also said her concern was broader than being prevented from drinking coffee in class and centered on whether the district had followed its public process before changing rules affecting students.
Her mother joined her in questioning the district’s handling of the updated code. The family said it had searched for information about a public hearing but could not find an announcement showing that residents had been notified that the proposed student conduct rules would be discussed. Their challenge turned what began as a first-day disciplinary matter into a broader discussion about notice, transparency and how school policies are approved.
Superintendent Todd Green said an August Board of Education meeting had been treated as the public hearing for the code of conduct. After speaking with Kaputa, however, Green acknowledged that the hearing had not been properly announced. He said the district tries to comply with open-meeting requirements and would address problems when they are brought to officials’ attention. Green also praised students for speaking up about issues they believe are important.
The superintendent said the new restrictions on outside food and beverages were intended to support a safe learning environment and reduce distractions. The dispute has not centered on whether school officials may establish conduct rules, but on whether the district completed the required public process before enforcing this particular change. Kaputa has argued that the lack of a properly announced hearing raises questions about the validity of the rule under which she was disciplined.
The case drew wider attention after WWNY reported on Kaputa’s suspension and her challenge to the rule. Gray News subsequently distributed the report to television stations around the country. Kaputa said she was not angry with the school district and wanted the process to operate as it was supposed to. Her position, as described in the local report, focused on transparency rather than seeking a lasting confrontation with school officials.
The district has since publicly posted notice of another hearing. According to Beaver River Central School District’s website, a public hearing on the 2026-27 Student Code of Conduct is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14, in the school’s Choral Room during the regular Board of Education meeting. That notice gives residents a specific opportunity to hear about and respond to the conduct rules at issue in the dispute.
The school district serves the Beaver River community from its campus on Artz Road in Castorland. Its Board of Education says regular meetings are open to the public and are typically held on the second Monday of each month. The Sept. 14 hearing is now the next confirmed step as the district revisits the code of conduct and the process surrounding its adoption.
As of Sunday, Sept. 13, the district’s website continued to advertise the upcoming hearing. The available reporting did not indicate that Kaputa faced additional discipline beyond the in-school suspension. The public hearing is expected to give school officials, students and community members another opportunity to address the 2026-27 conduct rules before the district determines how to proceed.
Author note: Last updated September 13, 2026.