Hoodies banned for being "gangwear"

[ctc]

>I'm more concerned by the ban on Crocs! How dare they!

HAW! So; is a Croc related injury a "potential health hazard" or "natural selection?"

>"There's not a lot of in-between — a lot of moms love them, then a lot of moms hate them, so the passions run deep."

THIS is the part of the article that worried me. How sad is your life when....?

Don C.

[Hulk]

Crocs get the boot at some schools - USATODAY.com

I'm more concerned by the ban on Crocs! How dare they!

[ctc]

So....

Does this mean trenchcoats aren't the source of all evil any more?

Stuff like this bugs me; it's a knee-jerk reaction from a bunch of out of touch clowns wanting to look like they're in control while covering themselves from litigation by saying "we BANNED the hoodies, we did all we could, we're not responsible" the next time something bad happens. And no; I'm not referring to the teachers: stupid ideas like this come from WAY higher up the chain. Funny thing; like Congress, they're attacking the hip-hop/rap thing on the downswing... way to stay on a trend, five years too late. (I guess they figure less people will complain about a dying fad than a live one. Maybe they DID learn from the PMRC...)

If the schools want to ban certain attire they can. It's their show; they can do what they want. BUT when they do stuff like this "to protect the students" I find it insulting, stupid and counterproductive.

Don C.

[Adam West]

Ban the hoodies! Bring on the school girl uniforms!

Another case of people treating symptoms of a problem they don't know how to cure. It will always be SOMETHING. Leather Jacket's, hoodies, whatever. It won't solve anything, but it makes people feel like they are doing something when they are doing nothing.

Well said. I am not a teacher by profession but I have volunteered for over a decade in sports and other activities that involve youth.

It doesn't take me a long time to figure out who the rotten seeds are. The problem is that education systems have their hands tied when it comes to plucking the bad seeds and removing them. Instead, the best that can be done is to ban clothing that may or may not be affiliated with a gang (and although there can be a lot of meanings for the word gang, I am assuming in this sense, we're talking about groups of people that are associated with one another with some criminal purpose).

The core problem is the rules the education system has to go by for fear of litigation since by law, everyone is entitled to an education provided for by the government.

[Dave Mc]

Ban the hoodies! Bring on the school girl uniforms!

Another case of people treating symptoms of a problem they don't know how to cure. It will always be SOMETHING. Leather Jacket's, hoodies, whatever. It won't solve anything, but it makes people feel like they are doing something when they are doing nothing.

[Mikey]

When I was a kid (in the 70's)
Hooded sweatshirt kids were know as "poor dirt bags"
Times have changed, I guess.

[Marvelmania]

To be honest.......
I'm still shocked hearing there are gangs in Tennessee.

People here had to do something when all the moonshine stills were busted

I always knew those hooded sweatshirts were trouble from the moment I laid eyes on them. I remember when I was a kid and put one on, God, the power I felt! Make no mistake, those sweat shirts are the devils garments. For a while I was thinking maybe it was how some of the kids were raised, or perhaps the environment they grew up in.



Really this thread was not intended to accuse or put any blame on teachers. I was just surprised by the banning of a sweatshirt w/ a hood on it and wondered why some would consider it worthy of being banned or see it as gangwear. That's why I asked for others opinion.

[Merlyn1976]

Excluding derogatory messages on T-shirts and ill fitting clothes my children will dress how they want...and no teacher will tell them otherwise...

It's not their place to raise my children nor tell them what they can and can't wear...

Teachers are there solely for education...

It makes no sense whatsoever to punish children who do nothing wrong...

[Mikey]

To be honest.......
I'm still shocked hearing there are gangs in Tennessee.

[huedell]

All good points Hornet----I still think that the student body as a whole has to be
monitored in a number of ways to stomp out bad apples---just my POV---I think the
other philosophy is too finite---but both ways are a slippery slope---i can't
downplay how much I realize this...

Which is why it doesn't work. Teachers and the School Boards need to spend more time worrying about *why* gangs get started, not how you can tell a kid is part of a gang.

So, taking your last bit into consideration---I think they ARE doing what they
can to some extent on the side of deconstructing the gang mentality----banning
hoodies may very well be a SMALL part of an overall gameplan---I hope so anyway
---I just do not know though

And Mike---even Rocky Balboa was a thug working for the Philly gangsters to "get by"
---which is the very same reasoning the majority of gang kids use----that's just an
"ironic observation" though (regarding your post), as Rocky's sweatshirt/hoodie had nothing
to do with nothing back then!

[Hornet of Doom]

I disagree --- schools should definitely have the welfare of these young impressionable
minds IN mind when they draw up their rules/regulations---young kids in
a PUBLIC educational environment cannot just run free---the "bad apples" will
surely take advantage of that

Then you do something to take care of the "bad apples." You can't treat everyone like a "bad apple" just because they could be, become, or be associated with "bad apples."

I went to a school that had uniforms. There were still cliques, fights, and at least one gang. Uniforms do nothing other than take away that one freedom.

I think the "one bad apple" argument works just fine---there are always going to bad
elements in public schools---better to be preventative---the alternative would
be to monitor each and every kid individually which is impossible--- and, frankly,
unnecessary

OK, maybe preventative measures could be taken... But uniforms and the banning of hoodies are not a good preventative measure.

And BTW, I think you missed my point. The fact that there's a gang at a school does not mean that everybody at school should be treated like they're part of it.

If it fed into gang behavior...I'd be all for it---colored chalk isn't part of a known gang
stereotype---hoodies apparently are

No, but what if it were? Would they ban colored chalk in a move to wipe out gangs?

The big problem I'm seeing here with the "hoodie banning" isn't the move itself---
but doesn't it stand to reason that once hoodies are banned---won't gangs come up
with an alternative thing just to irk/dodge the system?

Seems like it may be a neverending battle----but I dunno

Which is why it doesn't work. Teachers and the School Boards need to spend more time worrying about *why* gangs get started, not how you can tell a kid is part of a gang.

[Mikey]

Weird thinking this guy would be banned today --for his attire.......



m

[megoscott]

It just seems like a silly action done by people who understand neither kids or gangs. I put myself in that category.

[Marvelmania]

It just seems to me that by doing this it is teaching kids that steriotyping people is acceptable and an ok solution in order to make a preemptive strike against a problem that may or may not happen.

[huedell]

A kid with drugs or weapons is a hoodlum. What's complicated about that?

True---but my thoughts were---once you got a kid brought up on those charges---then
you have to investigate and then decide the punishment etc, etc. (all that goes with it)
and IF you take into consideration that THAT'S difficult already (at least from my POV)
then to take away preventative measures like a dress code that includes the "no hoodies"
thing it just seems like you're taking away potential "preventative resources" for
no important reason

Yes "no hoodies" may be TOO MUCH of a regulation---but I think it also may be
valid enough to be LITTLE ENOUGH of a regulation not be frowned upon and called
an "insult" to the kids---or a dangerous overall idea

It works both ways----its just where do you draw the line is the thing

I already acknowledged that gangs will most likely find another piece of clothing
to utilize as definitive gangwear----and so, the question remains:
will it be too much of a game of "catch up" for the "rule makers" to keep up this kind
of dress code monitoring?