We Must Be Diligent About Keeping Gangs Out of Schools
We Must Be Diligent About Keeping Gangs Out of Schools
Editor,
Your editorial following the stabbing of a Hollister youth in a gang-related incident (“We Must Get to Root of Problem,” Jan. 25) was very revealing.
It shows just how fast the problem has escalated, and how far it could go if we let it. I am writing this letter to address the issue from two sides.
First, as I wrote in a previous letter, we can’t let the recreation program be eliminated by budget cuts. Too many kids are involved in recreation programs who are at risk of falling into the gang lifestyle.
For too many kids the connection with a coach is one of the best adult relationships in their lives. Although I have only been involved in coaching recreation sports for two years, I have already formed relationships with many of the kids and their parents and my own children are friends with many of the kids whom they have played with and attend birthday parties and other positive fun times with former and current team members.
As a high school teacher and coach I can tell you that many of the same traits that we as coaches look for in a kid are the same as what the gangs looks for in a kid: loyalty, service, commitment, a sense of team or family, status, etc.
We absolutely need to continue to provide positive outlets for kids to fulfill these traits.
Second, you made a great point about the importance of the school systems being a big part of the equation in trying to prevent kids from entering a gang and giving kids the skills they need to succeed.
I agree with this whole-heatedly, but I also feel it is critically important that schools continue to take a hard-line stance about gang activity occurring in the schools. Students in the public schools must be free from intimidation, violence, drug offers, etc. in order for them to flourish.
Many of our local schools adopted get-tough “zero tolerance” policies regarding gang attire or behavior. The no-hat policy at San Benito High School largely came about to stem a tide of gang-related behavior in the early 1990s, but in the past few years a lot of local schools have softened their stances.
I have seen kids at our school wearing red shirts, hats, shoe laces and belts. I have also witnessed the same things with kids wearing blue.
Schools absolutely must be areas where kids are free to learn, play and grow without the influence of gangs. Parents, I urge you to help your local schools to stay free of the influence of gangs, and support the administrators and teachers at each school in keeping this behavior away from school.
But more than anything else, no matter how tired we all are when we get home from work, we must remind our children we love them, and that they are important enough to us that we listen to them, play with them, and show them with our actions that they matter.
Randy Logue
Hollister
