When I started as an Assistant Principal at an alternative high school I was shocked at the level and magnitude of influence gang members wielded at our school. I previously held a social studies teaching position for 11 years and felt well entrenched in Constitutional law and Civil Rights. So, I wanted to be sure not to violate the basic protections for all and most importantly include and extend those protections to all students.
It was critical to take on and tackle the gang issue but I was committed not to violate the civil rights of any student regardless their affinity towards gangs. In my experience, gang ‘affiliated’ students were extremely adept to dodge, evade, and skirt school policy and accountability measures and thus made my challenge all the more difficult. A systematic approach would need to be created to take on this complex issue so I worked diligently to learn how to avoid common pitfalls and avoid unnecessary litigation. (Tinker v. Des Moines Ind)
I knew that I couldn't just single out individual articles of clothing to get the job done or simply rely on a general board policy, which loosely attempts to curb the problem through a weak definition of a "gang look" as it violates district standards. I knew that I had to avoid zoning in on just one article of clothing such as colored shirts or their baggy size, pants such as Dickies or Ben Lomond, Nike Cortez shoes, ‘flagging belt’, knee-high socks, rubber banded pant legs, etc. in order to ensure an individuals right to freely express themselves yet understood the need to create and maintain a safe environment for all students.
First and foremost, I needed to establish guiding principles that made sense to the students. The rule I established was to find two identifiers that would indicate an attempt to achieve the "gang look". So if a student had an over-sized shirt, Dickies pants, and a belt flagging down along one leg I could establish a pattern based upon three indicators. Upon that premise my staff would invite a student in question to my office and I would in turn ask the school resource Officer to accompany me for an interview.
The first question I presented the police officer in the presence of the student was, "Officer, is this student wearing clothing attire that is typical of gang affiliation?" and sis response was usually in the affirmative. Once the attire was established as inappropriate by law enforcement I felt comfortable to move forward with this expert opinion and continued to pursue the enforcement of our district policy.
The next step is to immediately involve parents and include them in the conversation. When parents arrive they are often irritated and quick to defend their children. I step back and explain how we came to this point and the rationale and associated policies behind it. With the parent present, I ask the student the first question, "Are you engaged or affiliated with gangs?" The student's response one hundred percent of the time has been "no". Now the follow-up question is critical to deliver in a timely manner. I then ask, "Then are you a poser?" and almost immediately the student will say something to the affect of, "Pssst, man I ain't no poser." I immediately turn to the parent and explain the predicament this student has placed the school in and reemphasize the dangers of gang activity and our commitment to a safe school for all. I assert that it is not feasible for school staff to distinguish between the ‘wanna-be's’, ‘used-to-be's’, or the ‘real deal’. The basic concept is if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck, it must be a Gang-banger.
Then I take the time to talk to the parent about how it is the school's responsibility to protect their child against outside 'gansta' intruders who may enter the campus and single out their student for recruitment, possible intimidation/threats, or even physical assault due to their choice of clothing attire. The parent is also educated on the clothing combinations that law enforcement often looks for and the dangers associated with this manner of risky behavior.
Finally, I offer to allow the student to resume classes and avoid a three-day suspension as long as they agree to tuck in their shirt and/or use a zip tie to tighten up their pants in the back. Well, it goes without saying that over the past year I have yet to have one student accept that offer. The students, 100% of the time, signed the suspension form and went home with the parent. To avoid being burned I'm make sure to write on the form that an option to suspension was provided but the student refused.
I know I said finally but lastly, I make certain the student and parent are aware that continuing violations will result in 5, 7, and 9 days of suspensions. Once the student has demonstrated a repeated and/or flagrant pattern of behavior I suspend them to the district discipline screening committee for an additional suspension period. Then the student may be recommended to an alternative placement, which does not include a regular day school environment where they can use their school time to promote gang activity.
One other critical component is not to execute this strategy as a group activity but rather work with students individually. Identify the leaders from the followers and prioritize accordingly to maximize your impact. The word will spread quickly and all eyes will be on whether or not you as an administrator are in this thing for the long haul or just looking for a short-term fix. When you win this battle be vigilant and look for the 'creep' as it will resurface and be ever watchful, as gangs will adapt to achieve their objectives and circumvent your good efforts.
This is just one of my systematic approaches I've learned and used to curb gang related activity in our school. I look forward to hearing from others about their effective methods to clean up schools and benefit all children. The ultimate goal is to convince kids that attempts to skirt school policy are futile and hopefully will change their manner of dress and get lost in a new life, a better life, and maybe even a promising future.
But, the most important thing to come of all this is that the kids feel safe. We have a much happier, healthier, and far more academically focused group of students at our school. It’s been a liberating movement and although gang activity has not totally been eliminated, we've won huge number of the battles and the war seems manageable. As for those who have been forced to abandon their sacred clothing practices we have witnessed deep and significant improvement in their quality of life.
