Pupils in Gang Area Will Wear Uniforms

Some parents at a Pacoima elementary school have elected to dress their children in uniforms to prevent them from being attacked for wearing gang colors, the first such action in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Parents of students at Vaughn Street Elementary School are afraid that their children may be harmed by gang members who live in the neighborhood if they wear red or blue clothing, colors associated with the Bloods and Crips gangs, said Sara Coughlin, assistant superintendent of the school district’s Region F, which includes Vaughn Street.

She said she knew of no incidents in which any of the school’s children were harmed for wearing red or blue clothing. “I haven’t heard of any specific problems at the school, but it is in a gang area,” she said.

Coughlin said that about 100 parents--the school has about 1,000 students--decided at a spontaneous meeting on Monday to dress their children in uniforms as a precautionary measure. She said that the uniforms are a voluntary measure, and the district cannot require or prevent participation in such a program.

“I think if parents feel it would help, and it would make them more comfortable, it is fine,” Coughlin said. “As long as it’s voluntary, I don’t have any problems with it.”

She did not know when students would begin wearing uniforms.

The uniforms--like those worn by parochial and other private school students--would be gray and maroon and include a plaid jumper and pink blouse for girls in pre-kindergarten through third grade; a plaid skirt and pink blouse for girls in fourth through sixth grade; and gray pants and a maroon shirt for boys.

Coughlin said that the school is the only one in the district where parents have taken such action in response to gang-related violence in and around campuses. However, she said that many schools throughout the district do have dress codes that prohibit students from wearing gang colors and paraphernalia such as hats and bandannas.

Los Angeles police officials said that although the school in the 13300 block of Vaughn Street is in an area with a high concentration of gang members, the amount of crime in the area is not unusually high.

“I haven’t heard of any gang problems emanating at the elementary schools,” said Capt. Valentino Paniccia of the Foothill Division, which includes Vaughn Street. “Usually gangs create problems in the evening when the schools are closed.

“I think that’s an issue that parents and schools should be considering,” Paniccia said of the plan for uniforms. “I don’t think that’s something that the Police Department should be getting involved in.”

“I think it’s a very good idea,” said parent Judy Vasquez. “I think it will help.”

Her 8-year-old son Brandon, dressed Thursday in a maroon sport shirt and jeans, said he was excited about wearing a uniform.

“I want to wear a uniform because I like uniforms,” Brandon said. “I even like to wear costumes.”

But Victor Ramos, 13, said that while his parents would prefer he wear a uniform, he doesn’t like the idea.

“I don’t like to wear the same thing every day,” he said. “I like to wear the clothes I wear at home.”