Woodside High bans gang colors on campus Woodside High bans gang colors on campus (September 07, 2005)

By David Boyce

Almanac Staff Writer

Safety concerns for students walking to and from school have prompted Woodside High School Principal Linda Common to prohibit the wearing of clothing or accessories that are either red or blue -- colors that gangs have appropriated for their own.

Police in Redwood City, where many Woodside High students live, have attributed two recent homicides to gang violence. Last week in Redwood City, one man was struck by a car in an incident police said was intentional and gang-related, while in East Palo Alto, three men sitting in a parked car were killed in what police called a drive-by shooting.

Referring to "serious gang issues in local communities" in an August 31 letter obtained by the Almanac and sent to Woodside High parents, Ms. Common said the school has been "very fortunate" in that problems have not occurred on campus "as of yet."

"No red or blue clothing or accessories will be allowed at Woodside High School for all students and staff," the letter said. "This includes any shade of red or blue (and) belts, hats, hair pieces, earrings, etc. Tennis shoes and backpacks are OK as long as they do not have any graffiti."

"It's the Nortenos and the Surenos and the colors that are associated with those two gangs that seem to be the major focus at all schools in the state," said Patrick Gemma, superintendent of the Sequoia Union High School District.

In an e-mail to the Almanac, Ms. Common said that the school had been allowing students only one item of red or blue. "We changed this policy due to the problems in these communities," she said. "We will assess the situation in weeks to come."

Lt. Ken Jones of the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, which provides school resource officers to Woodside High, said the recent violence in Redwood City and rumors of gang-related activity this year on the Woodside campus has deputies "keeping an extra watch" for potential problems.
A different approach

Menlo-Atherton High School does not have a blanket policy on gang-related clothing and paraphernalia, but deals with situations as they arise, said Administrative Vice Principal Matthew Zito.

The school, with about 2,000 students enrolled this year, has "a handful of gang members, maybe less," said Mr. Zito. Students suspected of belonging to or known to belong to a gang can be put on probation that includes orders on what they are not allowed to wear or carry. Violations can lead to suspension.

The policy is several years old, but is being enforced this year. "We'll see how it works," he said.

The wearing of red or blue clothing is not necessarily evidence of a gang affiliation, he said. Some kids wears a color to be safe while traversing a particular gang's territory, but protestations of innocence may not work if a kid runs into someone from the wrong gang.

Schools can control what students wear on campus, said Mr. Gemma, but he described as "a gray area" the questions of whether schools can enforce what students wear on their way to and from school.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.