High school principal announces banned items to students,
parents
Concerns about an increase in the gang-related attire worn by
the nearly 3,000 students at San Benito High School this week
prompted the administration to tighten the school’s dress code.
Effective Oct. 1, the school added a number of items to its list
of banned clothing and accessories, expanding the restrictions to
include items from those with references to specific area codes to
certain colors of lanyards and belts.
High school principal announces banned items to students, parents
Concerns about an increase in the gang-related attire worn by the nearly 3,000 students at San Benito High School this week prompted the administration to tighten the school’s dress code.
Effective Oct. 1, the school added a number of items to its list of banned clothing and accessories, expanding the restrictions to include items from those with references to specific area codes to certain colors of lanyards and belts.
In a Sept. 29 e-mail to school staff, Principal Krystal Lomanto said, “We are seeing some recent clothing trends on campus that [are] in violation of our dress code in regards to gang-related attire. Safety on campus is crucial to providing an academic environment that supports student success. Therefore, we are banning several clothing items” that were outlined in a message read by teachers in class this week and sent to parents in recorded phone messages.
The memo outlined items that local law enforcement officials have identified as gang-related, such as items with the words “SoCal, NorCal, CenCal, South Pole, Nor Cali, Cali, or Ecko Unlimited.” Also banned are “items with a reference to the California flag, map, star or bear” and items that refer to “a specific city and/or area code. Therefore, no 831 or 408 clothing.”
Lomanto said references to Hollister are not banned, however, nor are Hollister Co. shirts with “SoCal” on them.
No items with the number “187,” which is police code for murder, or clothes with “any type of weapon” will be allowed; nor will items referencing “North, South, West, or East side.”
“Safety on campus is crucial to providing an academic environment that fosters student success,” the memo said. “Education Code 35294.1 specifies that for the purpose of establishing a school-wide dress code, gang-related apparel shall not be considered a protected form of speech.”
The school’s list of dress code violations includes red, blue or black key chains or lanyards dangling from clothing. Students may still wear lanyards of any color around their necks, as many do when they display laminated school passes.
In an e-mail interview with The Pinnacle, Lomanto said SBHS’s dress code, which also counts red, blue and non-leather brown belts among the prohibited items, “was established to promote a professional atmosphere on campus.”
Posters outlining the school’s definitions of appropriate and inappropriate clothing – including skimpy or excessively baggy items – were put up around campus and in classrooms last year.
Lomanto said she hopes the new prohibitions on clothing “may reduce confrontations between rival gangs. “Currently, we have groups of students wearing similar clothing that can be very intimidating to other students as they move about campus. The newly identified items will help reduce possible confrontations.”
There will be a grace period as students, families and staff adjust to the new expectations, Lomanto said.
SBHS senior Nasarae Johnson, who said her father is in law enforcement, said she is “totally for [the clothing restrictions] because I really think gang activity needs to be fought in the schools.”
Courtney Cardoza, also a senior, said she “gets the general idea” of the dress code rules, “but it’s completely stereotypical of what gangs are wearing. I know a lot of people who wear shirts that say NorCal on them and aren’t in gangs.”
Cardoza said she has one friend who likely will have to replace most of her wardrobe because of the expanded restrictions.
“I do see the positive side,” Cardoza said. “I do know that gangs are a problem in Hollister. But to ban all of these brands…I wear SoCal and NorCal clothes.”
The timing of the announcement of the new rules, one day before they went into effect, irritated Cardoza, who also wondered whether the rules would be evenly enforced.
“I don’t think I look like a gang member,” she said. “If [school staff] were to see me and someone who looks gang-related wearing the same shirt, they’ll probably bust them,” which she said could be unfair.
Senior Giovani Gastello said the new policy “won’t change anything because gang members already know who each other are. They know which side is which. The whole goal is to stop gang violence – changing clothes will not stop the gang violence.”
Gastello said nearly all of his clothes are affected by the rules.
“I really have to get a whole new wardrobe,” he said.
Lomanto said in a Sept. 30 e-mail to staff that she had received several e-mails and phone calls from parents “supporting our efforts, but who want a little more time to find different clothing for their student.”
While the effective date of the new dress code policies was Oct. 1, Lomanto said students would be warned through the end of the week.
“This will give parents the weekend to purchase appropriate clothing and also time for us to make sure all families and students are notified,” she said.
Teachers and staff were instructed that as of Monday, Oct. 6, students out of compliance with the dress code should be sent to the office to receive the “appropriate dress code consequences.”
Students deemed to be dressed inappropriately will be asked to modify their attire to fit the dress code, to put on a school-provided green T-shirt, or request a change of clothing from home. Repeat offenders will be subject to disciplinary measures, according to the SBHS Student Handbook.
The handbook, which was given to every student at the start of the school year, states that the school “promotes a school environment where students’ appearance and behavior support a positive learning environment.”
The school recognizes legal rights to freedom of expression, the handbook notes, “while maintaining student appearance that does not disrupt the educational process and atmosphere.
Specifically, SBHS’s dress standards prohibit clothing that is “offensive, threatening, provocative, vulgar, displays tobacco, alcohol or drug advertising, displays profanity, racial slurs, or has images of gang-related symbols.”
Headgear such as hats, caps, scarves, bandanas or beanies are prohibited, unless they are part of a student’s “customary religious attire.” The school also bans garments that expose a bare midriff or torso as well as “short shorts [and] very short skirts.”
Salinas High School in September increased the enforcement of its dress code policies, which previously had not been uniformly enforced. Included in that school’s ban are items bearing the names and area codes of California cities and gloves colored red or blue.
Salinas Principal Michael Romero told the Salinas Californian newspaper that the idea of the stepped-up clothing limitations was to raise awareness among parents whose children may be mistaken for having gang ties simply because of the types of clothes they wear.
Lomanto, who said she has been in contact with the Salinas High administration, said she has not been in contact with local clothing stores that sell the banned items and mentioned that students “of course can wear the clothing items off of school grounds.”
Asked if the problem worsens would SBHS consider an even stricter dress code – perhaps mandating some sort of uniform, Lomanto said, “I am hoping with the support of our community and parents, we would not have to research a uniform protocol. I am not looking to enforce a uniform.
“The academic success of our students is our number one priority and providing a safe campus is a critical component,” she said. “I care about our students and want them to have the greatest range of options upon graduation.”
