O.C. Schools Ponder Ban on Gang Attire

Worried about the influence of gangs, two Orange County school districts have proposed dress codes that would ban colors, clothing and even hairstyles that authorities say are associated with gang activity.

The Orange Unified and Tustin Unified school district boards will vote on their respective dress codes later this summer.

Principals in Orange would get broad authority to restrict apparel they consider to be gang-related, while Tustin’s plan is more specific and prohibits such items as Los Angeles Raiders jackets and red or blue athletic shoes.

“A kid can be at school and never have a problem, but as soon as they put on their colors, they’re putting on their (gang) uniform, and they start to have a problem,” said Frank Boehler, an administrative assistant for child welfare who helped develop Orange Unified’s policy.

Law enforcement authorities say students often wear certain apparel to indicate membership or affiliation with a gang. Proponents of dress codes say that outlawing gang apparel on campus helps students realize that schools are neutral territories in turf wars that erupt between rival gangs.

Dress codes are increasingly being used by districts to help control gang activity on campus. School districts with heavy gang activity, such as those in Oakland and Los Angeles, have tried to stem gang violence on campuses by imposing strict bans on gang clothing.

The Santa Ana Unified School District, while not banning specific articles of clothing, addresses proper school wear in a pamphlet that is distributed to all parents and students at the beginning of the school year.

So far, legal cases have shown that district dress codes serve a “public purpose” and are acceptable because they are designed to prevent gang violence, said Val Fadely, an attorney with the Orange County Department of Education.

But restrictions on clothing can draw a thin line between the district’s responsibilities and the rights of students, Fadely said.

“I think it’s a fairly sensitive area because you have to strike a balance between the students’ First Amendment rights and the district’s need to protect the safety of the students,” Fadely said.

The Orange Unified policy, introduced last week, is based on a plan adopted last November by the Irvine Unified School District. Officials of both districts say the new policies are not the result of any outburst of gang activity, but were suggested because of the gradually increasing influence of gangs in the area.

If Orange Unified trustees approve the plan at the Aug. 15 board meeting, each school will be allowed to enforce its own dress code when classes begin this fall.

Under the plan, Orange Unified schools would be allowed to prohibit “the use of any gestures, or the presence of any apparel, jewelry, accessory, notebook or manner of grooming which by nature of its color, arrangement, trademark or any other attribute, disrupts school operations or is associated with a group that advocates or commits unlawful acts.”

The policy does not ban specific colors, jackets or other articles of clothing.

Schools may only prohibit items “that have already been related to criminal activity,” Boehler said.

“The worst thing we can do right now is to charge at kids and charge at parents and label 10,000 things as gang-related,” Boehler said, adding that the code may be tough to enforce.

The Orange Unified plan would also make gang prevention and intervention efforts part of the district policy and would require all graffiti found on school property to be immediately removed.

Bob Nelson, principal of Saddleback High School in Santa Ana, where gang-related attire is forbidden, said students have learned that gang clothing--which can include anything from shoelaces to caps--will not be tolerated.

“We send them right home if they are wearing anything that is gang connected. We have to let students feel safe when they attend school,” Nelson said.

For example, hats or the color of shoelaces can play a role in what is accepted or not accepted among gang members, Nelson said. After Saddleback High officials noticed that some students began wearing hats with gang initials on them, they banned all hats on campus except the ones purchased from the school store.

“The kids would wear shoelaces with a particular color and the parents are naive that the colors are gang-related,” Nelson said.

The Tustin Unified policy would forbid clothing or accessories identified by the Tustin Police Department or the Orange County Sheriff’s Department as commonly gang-related, including such items as red or blue shoelaces, Los Angeles Raiders or Los Angeles Kings jackets, or solid blue or red athletic shoes.

Tustin would also ban clothing, jewelry and accessories associated with violence, drugs, tobacco, alcohol, obscenity or bigotry, or that pose a threat to the physical well-being and safety of the student or others, or that are disruptive to the educational process.

The policy additionally would forbid clothing that is unusually tight, revealing or exposes the midsection, and hats or caps, with the exception of head wear required for medical or religious reasons or hats bearing the school name.

Tustin Unified Supt. David L. Andrews believes that the district is entitled to enforce a dress code.

“Since we are responsible for the behavior of students once they’re on our campuses, we’re going to establish standards. We’re going to establish rules,” Andrews said. “It’s not unrealistic at all, and it’s certainly not unfair.”

The Tustin Unified board will consider the dress code Monday, but Andrews does not expect it to be adopted until Aug. 5. Some parents and one board member have already expressed concern that the code is too restrictive.

“We have some parents who feel that their children ought to have freedom to express themselves, whatever the consequences,” Andrews said.

Tustin board member Jane Bauer said she doesn’t support the policy because it is too specific. She favors a more general dress code.

In addition, at the elementary school level in Tustin, non-prescription glasses, facial makeup and open-toed or backless shoes unsuitable for physical education activities would also be banned.

A.G. Currie Middle School and Tustin High School adopted similar dress codes last year as a way of combatting gang-type dress. Both schools are in the city’s southwest section, where police and school officials have reported more gang activity.

“I don’t recall ever having to deal with a problem at either of those schools last year,” Andrews said.

Changes in the policies were considered by administrators, teachers and students at individual schools last year, and their recommendations were included in the proposal, Andrews said.

Times staff writer Lily Eng contributed to this report.