OXNARD : Schools Ban Gang Clothing, Symbols

Gang-related clothing and symbols will be banned from schools in the Oxnard Union High School District, the board decided Wednesday.

Prohibited items will include clothing, jewelry, accessories, notebooks or symbols that signify membership in a gang or other group advocating drug use or disruptive behavior.

Assistant District Supt. Gary Davis said some school principals have already banned all hats except those issued by the school. “This policy is for any kind of clothing that is clearly connected to youth gang activities,” Davis said.

For example, Raider jackets, which some schools have banned, will be allowed. But jackets with the name or logo of a gang will be prohibited, he said.

The ban may be related to a brawl that took place in February at Oxnard High School. Administrators said they had no indication that gangs or racial tensions caused the incident, but students said it began with a disagreement between a black student and a Latino student and grew to involve at least 50 students, some of whom were gang members.