Suspension Is Over in ‘Jell-O Shot’ Incident

A fourth-grade girl may return to school today, having completed a nine-day suspension for bringing to school what appeared to be about 30 “Jell-O shots,” school officials said.

Neither a sheriff’s spokesman nor school officials would divulge if the gelatin cups contained alcohol. School officials said testing results were private because they’re in the child’s disciplinary record.

The girl, her mother and school officials met Thursday and agreed the child would also have a hair test to determine if there were any signs of drug use; she and her mother will also undergo a three-hour counseling session with school officials.

The girl’s mother, Adrienne Noble, could not be reached Thursday at the French Quarter bar where she works.

Earlier, she insisted the Jell-O cups were nonalcoholic treats for her daughter’s classmates.

The incident occurred Nov. 29 as the girl stood outside the Geraldine Boudreaux Elementary School in Terrytown, a New Orleans suburb. A teacher spotted liquid dripping out of the student’s book bag, looked inside and found what looked like the cups of alcohol-laced gelatin sold in bars.

A school system spokesman said the girl told Principal Dorothy Bailey her mother makes alcoholic shots at home and sells them at work. She said her mom told her to take the shots to school and sell them, three for $1, “to make some money for Christmas,” schools spokesman Jeff Nowakowski said.

According to school policy, the fact that the Jell-O looked like an alcoholic product was enough to punish the girl -- whether it was alcoholic or not.