On Monday, December 6, 2010, Diana Negrete brought coffee in a mug, which was reportedly snatched from her while she and Jazmine Cruz crossed South East’s front entrance.

           
The staff member claimed that coffee was not allowed on campus, and so the mug was given back to Diana under the condition that she dispose of the coffee. Since she felt the mug was confiscated with an unclear explanation, Diana agreed to dispose it, but started walking away instead.

           
This was considered an act of defiance, and according to Diana, the staff member confronted her later and claimed that her kindness is why she did not receive detention earlier that morning.

“First of all, it’s not an official rule if it’s not in writing, so how can you enforce it?” says LAUSD’s District 6 case manager Claudia Hernandez.

It turns out that yes, the rule is in writing, however, we were not aware of it because it has not been enforced until now. Bulletin-1908.0 does state beverages such as coffee, tea, and soda containing more than 20 milligrams of caffeine per 12 ounce servings are not allowed, but it also states that products such as certain chips and candy should not be sold on school campuses.

Bul-1908.0 GUIDELINES FOR SALE OF FOOD-BEVERAGES ON CAMPUS (page seven)

            Beverages NOT allowed

●        Carbonated beverages except for those carbonated fruit juice and water products approved in the previous section.

●        Caffeinated beverages containing more than 20 milligrams of caffeine per 12-ounce serving, including coffee, tea, and chai.

●        Beverages containing additives such as herbal and non-vitamin supplements (including but not limited to ginko bilboba, ephedra, ginseng, guarana, mahuang, etc.) food colorings and flavors not proven safe by the scientific community.

●        Beverages containing vitamin and/or mineral supplements including but not limited to chromium, magnesium, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin E, and iron.

●        Carbonated sports drinks

●        Beverages in glass bottles

The bottom of page 8 states that food sold on campus must not exceed the following:

●        No more than 35% of calories from fat (exception: nuts and seeds)

●        No more than 10% of total calories from saturated fat

●        No more than 35% added sugar by weight (exception: fruits and vegetables)

●        No more than 600 milligrams of sodium per serving  

The LAUSD Parent Student Handbook states that “In order to participate in SBP and NSLP, food services must meet nutritional guidelines set by the USDA. The Food Services Division has instituted higher standards and meets or exceeds limitations on total fat, calories, sodium, additives and dyes, and trans-fats that are required by law.”

During a meeting held with Diana Negrete, Dr. Jauregui, and the staff worker, Diana claims that Dr. Jauregui’s argument was that coffee would make Diana hyper, which is one of the reasons why it is not allowed.

But Hernandez strongly expresses that if this is the case, then the school should not serve or sell products containing too much sugar at the cafeteria or student stores.

On top of this, the meeting was held without Diana’s parents, or her older brother, who wrote a note to Dr. Jauregui. According to Diana, the note states the staff worker used excessive force, although the staff worker and Dr. Jauregui claim otherwise. Diana still denies telling either one of them anything different.

“As adults we are suppose to model positive behavior, thus, snatching an object from a student is counter productive, because children look up to adults on how to behave according to the norms of the society in which they live. Therefore, we should continually strive to demonstrate our values and beliefs through our actions in our daily lives. Adult interaction with students and colleagues should be respectful to promote a safe learning environment,” Claudia adds. “Even cops have to have a reason to pull you over. My biggest concern is that you have to follow rules which are neither written nor stated.”

 
“I think the concern on their part was why did we take the coffee away?” Dr. Jauregui says, “ And Ms. Luna’s concern or the school, is if it is on campus we do have to take it away. You can drink it outside, you can drink it at home, but not in school. The same thing applies for sodas.”

The staff worker and Dr. Jauregui clarify that they confiscate any drinks which are not allowed on campus. But how is it fair for staff members to bring coffee since “it’s not allowed on campus”?

According to Diana, the authorities told her that if she wanted to have coffee she should drink it at home. With this being said, teachers and staff workers can also do the same. This, however, does not mean I am supporting the ban. I would not want our school staff to be groggy or snap at us because they need to have coffee.

Ultimately, the tension started when the mug was taken away, therefore upsetting Diana, so she did not want to follow directions. When she did not feel there was a valid reason for the ban, and when she felt disrespected, she did not see the importance in following directions. Diana was also confronted later that same day by the staff worker, but really, why did she not assign a detention to begin with, instead of threatening her with it later?

Jazmine Cruz supports Hernandez’s statements by saying, “She shouldn’t have told her [that], it was [unfair] since they sell things.”

One of the issues with this matter, is the hypocrisy Diana faced. If the issue with bringing soda, energy drinks, and coffee is health, why are candy and chips any different?

I assumed that the coffee being in a mug was part of the issue, since mugs can break. However, Diana claims that during the meeting this was not mentioned. The staff worker also states that the mug was not the issue, it was the substance inside of it. However, this became a misunderstanding because Diana claimed the mug was taken away without the staff worker knowing the content.

 I also assumed the meeting was to relieve tension between Diana and the staff worker, but she felt the meeting was held to prove her wrong (and possibly intimidate her).

The staff worker says the meeting was solely to clarify why coffee is not allowed on campus, and they did not have intentions to make her feel as though it deviated from this. 

“I feel like we could’ve handled the situation differently, other than shouting at a person or having them snatch stuff from you,” Diana said.

“It really boils down to several reasons why schools have rules, and it’s really in this case a health reason, but it’s either health, safety or academics,” Dr Jauregui explains.

Every student should keep their rights in mind while trying not to abuse them, but authority figures should also make sure rules are clarified when enforcing them.

Have you ever experienced anything similar?

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