Every morning you see waves of sleepy Staples students stagger from the cafeteria, coffee clasped in their feeble hands desperately needing that burst of energy to get them through the next seven hours.

As of next year, all Connecticut state schools will not be allowed to sell coffee in their cafeteria. According to Superintendent Elliott Landon if coffee is not removed, the school will lose its state aid.

It is unknown as to why the state is removing coffee from the menu. Attempts to contact to Connecticut State Department of Education School Nutrition Program for Fairfield and New Haven went unanswered.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, studies show 100 mg to 200 mg (one or two cups of coffee) per day are not harmful.

Many students are confused as to why coffee must be removed because they see coffee as a benefit rather than a detriment.

“It’s important that we’re alert and awake during classes and for many students, coffee is what we need,” said Charlotte Steinberg ’16, who is a frequent coffee drinker.

Superintendent Elliot Landon believes the decision is “absurd” and high school students are old enough to make their own decisions about what they eat or drink when at school. He fears that this decision may lead to more problems than having coffee in the cafeteria.

“Many (students) will seek coffee from local retail outlets, oftentimes making them late for the start of school, and jeopardizing their safety as they attempt to get back to school in their automobiles at high rates of speed,” said Landon.