First-grader sent home for putting wine in love potion

ORANGE, CA (AP) - It wasn't the love part that got Nicholas Heath in trouble, it was the booze.

The 7-year-old was suspended from La Veta Elementary School here on Thursday when he brought his ``Love Potion No. 9'' to class, intending to use it for show-and-tell.

The rub-on formula contained leaf juice, a little dirt, some blood from the first-grader's finger, red-raspberry Kool-Aid and two drops of wine.

The wine did it. His teacher sent the boy home before he had a chance to show the test-tube mixture to the class.

The boy's father, Bob Heath, was stunned.

``I agree Nicholas needs to learn alcohol isn't a toy and he shouldn't play with it,'' Heath said. ``All he knows about wine is that it's an adult drink he can't have.

``His baby sitter said she watched while he tapped two drops into his test tube from the dispenser's spigot. It's not like they found a teen-ager with a bottle in his locker. Suspending him was an overreaction.''

Jan Fukai of Orange Unified School District's education services said the district was just following rules.

``Bringing alcohol to campus is a suspendable offense, period,'' Fukai said. ``Beyond that, the district and the principal decline to comment.''

Nicholas, who returns to class Monday, suffered his suspension gladly.

``I got to stay home,'' he said.

Bob Heath said he is worried that the suspension will affect his son's school record. But at least the boy he calls ``the mad scientist'' used the time constructively.

He said Nicholas created a new itching potion.

There's no wine in it.