New Orleans school officials bring zero tolerance to a new and absurd level this week as a 4th grader was suspended for bringing "jello shots" to school--even though it has not been determined they contain alcohol.

The girl told the principal that her mother, who works in a bar, makes alcoholic shots at home and sells them at work. The fourth-grader said her mother had instructed her to take the shots to school and sell them, three for $1, to make some money for Christmas, Nowakowski said. The gelatin was turned over to the sheriff's department for testing to see if it contained alcohol.

The girl was suspended for violating school rules against possessing or trying to distribute a "lookalike," or something that appears to contain drugs or alcohol. Under the lookalike rule, the girl's suspension will stand no matter what the sheriff's department finds.

"The school system's position is, it doesn't matter if it had alcohol in it or not," Nowakowski said.

The school also insists on testing the 8 year olds' hair for signs of drug use.

In televised reports, [mother] Adrian Noble denied there was alcohol in the Jell-O and complained about the system's punishment of her daughter. Under the drug policy, the girl can return to school Friday if she completes an assessment program, undergoes counseling and submits to a hair test to make sure she is drug-free, Nowakowski said.