The Staples High School guidance department bends over backward for everyone.
This week — during the half-hour between 1st and 2nd final exams of the day — they’ve handed out snacks and drinks to students.
It’s part of their “Resilience Project,” providing information and resources to help teenagers balance their lives.
Deb Slocum, Vicki Capozzi and Leslie Hammer prepare for the onslaught. Spencer Daniels and Kenny Brill hover hungrily nearby.
But one Staples drink of choice — coffee — will not be available next year.
Inklings — the school paper — reports that in the fall, Connecticut public schools that sell coffee to students will lose state aid.
Wow.
It’s a legal beverage. Older students — many of whom can drive, donate blood, vote (and who must, if they’re male, sign up for the draft) — drink coffee. With the 7:30 a.m. start time, it’s a necessity for some — just like their parents.
If they can’t buy it at Staples, they may stop at Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks. Where they’ll pay more. Then race to school.
Ah, the Law of Unintended Consequences…
