If school officials believe that certain color attire represents an
affiliation to a known gang, then it becomes incumbent upon them to
ban such a wear. Foremost, school officials must provide a safe and
disciplined learning environment in order for students to benefit
most from school. Most schools that prohibit students from wearing
gang paraphernalia do so in order to prevent problems.
In regards to the students not being allowed to wear shirts
spelling "JESUS (HEART) YOU" (or any other religious or nonreligious
attire that does not represent the theme of the senior class) in its
senior yearbook picture, I believe that school officials made the
right decision. The senior yearbook picture is a memorable lifetime
photo. It is a collective image that captures classmate camaraderie
and represents the entire senior class.
IMAM MOUSTAFA AL-QAZWINI
Islamic Educational Center
of Orange County
Costa Mesa
This is a great reason for going back to school uniforms. There
are several competing issues. The first is the need to keep our
students safe while educating them to read, write and do math. Their
education has been sidelined by an irrelevant discussion on the
appropriate color of clothes to wear.
Let the kids go back to class and make them all wear blue jeans
and white T-shirts with no logos, if not real uniforms. Public
schools across the nation have been moving in this direction for
years. Why turn teachers into dress code enforcers? Let them do what
they trained to do.
Second, teens don't have the same rights as adults. They can't
vote, drive or drink alcohol. Theoretically, they still answer to
their parents and are even put on restriction on occasion. I see no
problem with schools adopting policies that are meant to keep our
children safe, even if they appear restrictive. Let them wear pink
shirts in college.
I am ashamed of the celebrities, newscasters and even the
sororities who have made this a discussion of color and not on how a
school is struggling to keep kids safe. Our culture has got to stop
focusing on making issues out of things that are not the real issues.
Don't we get enough of that in an election year?
SENIOR ASSOCIATE
PASTOR RIC OLSEN
Harbor Trinity Church
Costa Mesa
A more troubling issue than wearing messages on clothing is that
of hardly wearing any clothing. So many of our youth wear
inappropriate, revealing, outrageous attire that underscores the loss
of modesty and the "anything goes" ethos endemic in our society. We
