Norwalk : Board Studies Dress Code to Avert School Gang Clashes

In an effort to keep gang activity off campuses, the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District is considering establishing a dress code to prevent the system’s 19,000 students from wearing gang-related clothing.

During a meeting Monday, board member Jesse Luera suggested the administration come up with a uniform code that would ban students from wearing clothes such as baggy pants, T-shirts and hats that could be considered gang-related.

The suggested dress code comes in the wake of an incident that occurred on the first day of school Sept. 11 at John Glenn High School when several youths dressed in gang clothing began shouting and exchanging gang signs and yelling challenges at each other. Sheriff’s deputies took the youths to the Norwalk sheriff’s station and released them to their parents.

“There is a feeling by board members that the entire community, including parents and the schools, needs to get behind an effort to redirect the students away from gang activities. A dress code is just one attempt,” said Elias Galvan, director of secondary education.

Board members and district administrators will discuss the matter Oct. 1. It is not known how soon a code will be established, Galvan said.