Michigan Teacher Serves O’Doul’s Beer To Fifth Graders In Class


A Michigan teacher is in trouble this week for serving non-alcoholic beer to fifth grade students in her class. The teacher, whose named has not yet been revealed, allowed one of her students to bring in O’Doul’s to share with the whole class. And it wasn’t even on St. Patrick’s day!

The incident took place in Linden, Michigan and according to district Superintendent Ed Koledo, it was meant to be a harmless history lesson. The Michigan teacher was trying to educate her fifth graders on the conditions of drinking water in colonial times when she made a serious error in judgement. On March 6th, one of her students brought in a (six?) pack of beer. It was unclear if the teacher had approved the beer ahead of time or if the student just showed up with it.

ICYMI: A Florida teacher forced a student to clean a urinal with his bare hands.

After teaching a lesson on how American colonials would often drink darker ales as a replacement for water, because of the poor drinking water conditions, the teacher then served samples of the O’Doul’s beer. According to Koledo, no one was forced to sample the beer, but three students did take home a bottle of the non-alcoholic “near” beer. Once Hyatt elementary Principal Vicki Malkaravage heard reports of the students drinking beer in class, she responded with a letter home.

Interestingly, no parents seemed concerned about the Michigan teacher serving O’Doul’s in class. Superintendent Koledo says he is unsure if the district will take action against the teacher, especially because they believe she made an honest mistake. In her thought process, it was ok to serve O’Doul’s to the children because the label on the malt beverage stated “non-alcoholic”.

Actually, O’Doul’s contains just under 0.5 percent alcholol, which allows it to be unregulated. According to Liquor Control Commission (LCC) spokesperson Andrea Miller, it is still a misdemeanor to provide non-alcoholic beers like O’Doul’s to minors. So while the school may not take action, it is possible that the Michigan teacher could face legal charges.

It is not uncommon for school teachers to bring in food or drinks to teach lessons on history and culture. It is uncommon to see an elementary school teacher serving beer to her students.

Do you think the Michigan teacher who served O’Doul’s to her fifth grade class should face any punishment from the school or the LCC?

[Image via A Good Time With Wine]

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