It's Not that this shirt 'offended' someone, or that it's 'ugly'. By its self it's nothing but a decal on a T-Shirt, no big Deal. First, the issue is that the School has a standing dress code. The student, And his parents, who seem to Reject common sense, and inject their Own interpretation of the rules, very well knew the Rules of the Dress Code and decided to test the waters as if on some sort of personal crusade to defy those rules, and chose the rocky path they are now on. The Second issue here is, if the Shool Admin., And the Sheriffs Office are correct about the shirt being Identified with, and Worn by this Gang, and there May be more or less to the story, then only a person on a fools errand would be stupid enough to Wear it otherwise. Nothing like being a Victim of a misdirected 'drive by', and they probably wouldn't care one bit that their 'victim' turned out to be an 7th Grade 'A' Student, who was dumb enough to wear that shirt in the wrong place, at the wrong time. RinnngRinnnng! Wake Up Call! :/ :/
BuddyBlack
Seventh-Grader Violates School Dress Code With Star On T-Shirt
Lori Carpenter came home on Oct. 20 to find her 12-year-old son, Dustin Cole, doing his homework with his shirt inside out.
The seventh-grader's shirt featured an interpretation of the California state flag, including the five-point star and a grizzly bear in an American flag pattern.
Officials at Cole’s school, Yuba Gardens Intermediate School in Olivehurst, California, told Carpenter that stars are now considered gang-related, Appeal-Democrat reported.
"He's an honor roll student, he's in California Junior Scholastic Federation and he gets A's," Carpenter told Appeal-Democrat. "He's a star student but he can't wear a star."
Principal Kari Ylst said the dress code at the school hasn’t changed in two years, and school administrators go over the rules twice a year with students.
According to Ben Martin, a detective with the Yuba County Sheriff's Department gang unit, the star on California’s flag, and Cole’s shirt, is being used by the Norteno street gang.
The number 31 is visible inside the star on Cole's shirt, indicating that California was the 31st state to join the union, but it’s also the inverse of 13, a number used by the Sureno gang.
"I wouldn't say that [California's Bear Flag] is necessarily gang attire itself, but if you put it with one or two elements, it could become gang attire," Martin said.
Carpenter thinks the school staff overreacted.
"I understand that they have a job to do to keep everybody safe," she said. "But I think that it's going way too far.”
According to Yuba Gardens Intermediate School’s code of conduct, their actions were justifiable.
“Due to the highly changeable nature of gang-associated clothing, the administration reserves the right to declare any clothing, accessory, colors of specific items of clothing, signs, and graffiti which has been identified as associated with gangs, as off-limits on the school premises,” the dress code reads.
The seventh-grader's shirt featured an interpretation of the California state flag, including the five-point star and a grizzly bear in an American flag pattern.
Officials at Cole’s school, Yuba Gardens Intermediate School in Olivehurst, California, told Carpenter that stars are now considered gang-related, Appeal-Democrat reported.
"He's an honor roll student, he's in California Junior Scholastic Federation and he gets A's," Carpenter told Appeal-Democrat. "He's a star student but he can't wear a star."
Principal Kari Ylst said the dress code at the school hasn’t changed in two years, and school administrators go over the rules twice a year with students.
According to Ben Martin, a detective with the Yuba County Sheriff's Department gang unit, the star on California’s flag, and Cole’s shirt, is being used by the Norteno street gang.
The number 31 is visible inside the star on Cole's shirt, indicating that California was the 31st state to join the union, but it’s also the inverse of 13, a number used by the Sureno gang.
"I wouldn't say that [California's Bear Flag] is necessarily gang attire itself, but if you put it with one or two elements, it could become gang attire," Martin said.
Carpenter thinks the school staff overreacted.
"I understand that they have a job to do to keep everybody safe," she said. "But I think that it's going way too far.”
According to Yuba Gardens Intermediate School’s code of conduct, their actions were justifiable.
“Due to the highly changeable nature of gang-associated clothing, the administration reserves the right to declare any clothing, accessory, colors of specific items of clothing, signs, and graffiti which has been identified as associated with gangs, as off-limits on the school premises,” the dress code reads.
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