Teen faces suspension over rosary beads

[The Straight Story]

Teen faces suspension over rosary beads

HAVERSTRAW (WABC) -- The parents of a high school student from Rockland County are demanding answers after their ninth grader was suspended for wearing rosary beads to school.

He was suspended even though the school doesn't even have a policy banning them. So did the principal go too far? Jason Laguna is a former altar boy and proud Catholic. He got his rosary beads as a gift, thinks they look cool and sometimes wears them under his shirt at school. But last Friday, right before dismissal, he pulled them out on his way out.

He was given a one-day suspension from Fieldstone Secondary School. His mother calls the punishment extreme, considering the 14-year-old is a member of student government and, according to his last report card, "is a pleasure to have in class." Laguna says she was told the school has an unwritten policy regarding beads because they could be used to show gang affiliation. The principal claims it was insubordination, saying Laguna's actions, "endangered the safety, health, morals or welfare of himself or others." Jason was supposed to stay home Friday, but late Thursday the district superintendent put that on hold pending further investigation. It may not be divine intervention, but his mother has contacted the American Civil Liberties Union as she continues to fight the suspension.

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=7272424

[CountAllVotes]

1. how stupid

and on both ends.

For one thing, you do not go around wearing rosary beads as a jewelry sort of item.

They are used for praying, each bead being a separate prayer.

Can't these idiots find anything else to do?

:dem:

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. They're a gang symbol

Mom is in denial.

[Riftaxe]

43. I have seen that gang! but wouldn't the habits

give them away before anyone got close enough to look at beads?

[gateley]

6. I agree that they're not to be worn (unless you're Madonna) but the article states

he's a devout Catholic and usually wears them under his shirt.

Don't know if you're/were Catholic, but remember scapulars? Kind of different since they're not prayer beads, but...

[CountAllVotes]

17. yes, I do remember those

I never wore them and certainly never wore rosary beads. I always carried them in my bag when I went to Church.

I'm not much of a Catholic - never was and likely never will be.

However, that said, you aren't supposed to wear rosary beads unless you have a reason for it. They are often placed around the neck of a person that is very sick, I know that much.

[gateley]

34. I only wore them when it was "in" to wear them in school. Almost like a fad --

for a month we're all draped in scapulars, then on to the next thing.

I agree that we NEVER wore rosary beads, but things have changed so much since I was a kid (Latin Mass, couldn't enter church without a head covering, couldn't eat before Communion, there was a Limbo for innocents who died but through no fault of their own hadn't been baptized Catholic :eyes:). that These days it's much more relaxed and the "rules" have eased so much that if it gives this kid comfort to wear them, I say go for it.

All the years I spent on my knees and beating my breast never comforted me, just made me 'obey' under threat of punishment.

I realized it was pretty much man-made BS by about the 6th grade, but I went all through High School in Catholic schools. It's a wonder I'm not scarred.

[unapatriciated]

63. They have been worn for centuries.

http://en.allexperts.com/e/r/ro/rosary.htm
Rosaries or rosary-like necklaces are often worn for non-religious purposes as a fashion or jewelry item, and are sold in different variations in popular jewelry and clothing stores. Such ornamental use, especially the wearing of a rosary around the neck, was heavily popularized by singer Madonna in the early 1980s and has experienced a come-back in recent years.

As a result of the persecutions of Catholicism in England, English-speaking Catholics are taught that it is improper or even sacrilegious to wear a rosary as a necklace, however this is common pious expression among Latin Catholics. Wearing of a Rosary that one actually uses to pray â€" is neither uncommon in various Catholic cultures nor sacrilegious, and was a common practice in the Medieval and Renaissance periods. Rosaries are also worn hanging from or looped over a belt, particularly with some religious habits, pinned to and hanging from a shoulder or neckline, or wrapped around a wrist or arm as a bracelet.

[fleabert]

14. i know lots of people who have worn the rosary as jewelry... madonna and the eighties come to mind.

not that i think the kid should have been suspended. either there's a rule, or there isn't- unwritten means there isn't. hope the ACLU fights this one. i love the aclu :-) as a non-catholic, i might wear them if they were pretty, but i am not a big fan of crosses in general.

edited because i can't spell properly on first attempt.

[Hepburn]

20. Rosary beads are used as a gang symbol. n/t

[damntexdem]

31. Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.

Hmm, seems like they could be the symbol of some really-nasty gangs.

But unlikely in the current case -- go ACLU!

[Riftaxe]

44. Reported there have been many

drive by knucklings with rulers in that neighborhood...... :P Until we ban rulers, no hands will be safe from injury!

edited to fix horrible spelling :P

[Hepburn]

58. So...

...we say that it's OK to wear gang symbols is one is not a gang member?

LOL...I taught HS in the barrio before I went to law school. Do you have any clue how difficult this would be to enforce?

[ProgressiveProfessor]

47. If its unwritten the school needed to warn him and explain why

Suspension for the first time violation of a rule what is not documented is not appropriate.

[gateley]

2. "Gang affiliation" -- Ha! When I was in Catholic schools it almost seemed that way!

Good on his mom for contacting the ACLU!

I bet there are plenty of students wearing crosses on necklaces. Talk about a gang!

[tallahasseedem]

3. The suspension is ridiculous...

Way over the top.

As far as the boy wearing the rosary beads, it's Catholic 101 that you don't wear them as jewelry.

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. Hispanics have been wearing rosaries as necklaces for as long as I can remember

Now they've become a gang symbol.

[no_hypocrisy]

4. What if gangs start using crucifixes around their necks as symbols?

Or Stars of David? Or Crescents?

Where do you want to draw THAT line???

[proud2BlibKansan]

15. If they use them to threaten other kids or to start fights then schools will ban them

Have you ever seen a gang fight? If you had I doubt you'd be making light of this. I also doubt you'd want your kids in school with gang members who use symbols and signs to provoke rival gang members.

[Mariana]

29. But the school didn't ban them.

I don't believe the principal should be able to make up an "unwritten policy" on the spot.

[proud2BlibKansan]

30. Yes principals get to do that

Their job is to keep kids safe. That means unwritten policies when necessary.

[Riftaxe]

45. The principal then should have

no problems producing this unwritten policy before a court of law to demonstrate that he was not capriciously acting on a whim or persecuting a select class of religion then.

Of course if he cannot manage to do this, the poor school district probably will lose $ because of an incompetent administrator.

[proud2BlibKansan]

56. The principal is in charge of keeping the kids safe.

Gang symbols and gang signs make the school climate unsafe. It's not that hard to understand.

[TommyO]

50. Nobody was endangered by this kid wearing a rosary

I'm no big fan of the catholic church, but the principal was way out of line here.

[proud2BlibKansan]

57. Gang signs and symbols start fights

and kids are not safe when there is a gang fight. Again, not hard to understand.

[miscsoc]

69. he might have been endangering himself

if the rosary was associated with a particular gang.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

55. To me unwritten = undocumented = unknown

I understand that it may be necessary, but if the student had no way to know about it to suspend on the first and therefore unknowing violation is inane. Explain, warn, and punish if it happens again.

You usually describe school admins as horrible incompetents, why the all the love for them in this case?

[proud2BlibKansan]

60. And if you really believe this kid had no idea that rosary was a gang symbol,

you aren't as smart as I thought you were. :)

As for competent administrators, I support the ones who enforce good discipline policies, like banning gang symbols.

I guess unless you witness the violence gangs bring to school and the subtle ways they stir things up, it could be hard to understand.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

72. What is or is not a gang symbol is really local. If its unwritten or unpublicized he gets a pass

for the first time (only). Also such unwritten rules or assumptions need to be documented so they can be vetted and if needed challenged. I have seen way too many people assume that what they believe is universal.

[damntexdem]

33. Have you ever seen a religious war?

If you had, would you be against all religious symbols?

Try banning them, and you'll find yourself in the middle of a real religious war.

Some policies, especially "unwritten policies," are just aching to make things worse, no matter what their purveyors claim to want.

[proud2BlibKansan]

35. I've seen plenty of gang fights

I wouldn't want my kids in a school where rival gangs fight.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

7. "unwritten policy", uh? Assholes.

I'm completely on the side of the student on this. It's a small, benign, non-confrontational accessory.

Besides, I can't argue that this is OK while that isn't.

[proud2BlibKansan]

19. So only assholes are interested in keeping schools safe.

Ok.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

21. The asshole part is not "policy", but "unwritten". -nt

[proud2BlibKansan]

22. Doesn't change the meaning of what you wrote

[Ignis]

36. Oh come on! It completely changes the meaning.

Let's try an analogy:

A: "I was arrested and incarcerated for breaking a law."

B: "I was arrested and incarcerated for breaking an unwritten law."

No difference whatsoever? :shrug: Many of us would disagree.

[proud2BlibKansan]

41. Except this kid wasn't arrested

[Ignis]

42. That's probably why I used the word "analogy," isn't it?

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=analogy&l=1

[TommyO]

51. No he was wrongly suspended. Even you should be able to see the difference.

[proud2BlibKansan]

62. I disagree.

Gang symbols do not belong at school.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

48. They are assholes and idiots is they suspend someone for the first violation of an UNWRITTEN RULE

Explain the issue, warn him not to do it again. If he persists, then escalate

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. Rosary beads are one of the newest gang symbols

Many schools have banned them.

[HappyMe]

12. Really? Good grief. nt

[proud2BlibKansan]

13. Yes

Welcome to DU :hi:

[wolfgangmo]

9. Rosaries have been co-opted by gangs BUT

and this is big - this kid is NOT a gang member and was on the way out of school.



This principal is suffereing from a zero tolerance policy or similar thinking.



Fail

[proud2BlibKansan]

16. How do you know he's not a gang member?

[Ignis]

37. He was actually in class.

:D

[Tailormyst]

10. technically, you aren't really supposed to wear them, you hold them

But regardless, suspension is just silly. Tell him they aren't allowed and explain to him why and everyone can move along with their lives. Suspending someone for breaking a rule that isn't a rule they have been told is stupid.

[proud2BlibKansan]

18. That's your culture. Hispanics wear them.

[Tailormyst]

23. I did not know that

I just remember thinking they were neat looking when I was little and my very Irish Catholic mom scolded me because they "weren't jewelery".

[proud2BlibKansan]

26. I didn't know it either until I taught in a Hispanic community

My grandmother, a devout Catholic and German, is rolling in her grave over this. But yes, Hispanics wear rosaries as necklaces.

[donco6]

24. I've never seen that.

And we have a lot of them here.

[proud2BlibKansan]

27. It's very common here

We don't see them at school much anymore since they've become a gang symbol and we've asked the kids not to wear them. But that's pretty recent.

[The Straight Story]

25. They are just wearing the beads americans don't want to wear

:rofl:

[proud2BlibKansan]

28. And they're made in China

:rofl:

[Rebubula]

52. OK...

...that was horrible and my wife is looking at me funny for laughing out loud.

[Obamanaut]

46. Does the church have an official stance on wearing/not wearing? nt

[proud2BlibKansan]

65. I don't know but I doubt it

[msanthrope]

32. I don't support 'unwritten' policies by school officials. If it's so important,

write it down so everyone has due notice of it.

[Ignis]

38. +1

And if the list of forbidden symbols needs to be updated weekly and published so everyone's aware of any changes, then freakin' update and publish it weekly!

Authority =/= Authoritarianism

[ProgressiveProfessor]

49. +1 Warn and EXPLAIN first

[proteus_lives]

39. What a bunch of pricks.

I hope the family sues their asses off.

[Bill McBlueState]

40. sound the alarm again

Some school administrator somewhere did something questionable. Will it never end. Think of the children.

etc.

[Old Troop]

53. You never wear Rosary beads. However, what business of the

school is it? Are they working for the Pope?

[moriah]

54. I thought it was only considered sacreligous if the beads...

... were worn without reverence -- or worn by a non-believer.

Aren't there stories of saints who wore rosary beads to protect themselves from evil?

[tonysam]

61. A report from two years ago

Never did Jaime Salazar imagine that wearing a rosarylike crucifix to school would provoke a national stir.

But when Salazar, 14, and his 16-year-old friend Marco Castro were suspended recently for refusing to remove the religious beads because they were "gang-related," it thrust the issue into the headlines and has triggered questions over the evolving role of rosaries in religion, fashion and street gangs.

In the latest cultural take on a symbol that has gone from Catholic altars to Britney Spears' bosom, the rosary is blurring the lines of liberty and safety on campus.

Some call the rosary-gang connection a stretch and urge caution. But for educators and public safety officials charged with blocking fluid gang trends, rosaries have become one more marker to track suspicious activity.

"It's become part of the look," said Victor Castro, a detective and school resource officer who leads gang awareness training in Hillsboro, Ore. "They use it as a reminder of protection."

More

[msanthrope]

59. Who said? If I wish to wear the talisman of a sky fairy, I will. n/t

[proud2BlibKansan]

64. You might not wear them but Hispanics do wear them.

As for the school, they are a gang symbol. There isn't a school in the country that allows gang signs and symbols.

[Fumesucker]

71. It would be hilarious if a gang were to adopt the clean cut, preppie look as a symbol..

I can just see the parents faces when their little preppies are suspended from school for being insufficiently grungy.

[pipi_k]

66. OK, I'm no fan of religion, but even I think this is idiotic

For petes sake, what is wrong with these people????

Nitpicking assholes!

[McCamy Taylor]

67. Unwritten policy....just another way of saying arbitrary punishment.

If they seriously need to ban rosaries to keep kids safe from gang violence, they need to put it in writing....so that every Church for miles around can cricify them from the pulpit. Fair is fair. Man, I want to see how much heat these guys would take if they suspended someone for wearing a Star of David.

Does this community have a prejudice against Latinos? Is that why they are going after Catholics?

[miscsoc]

68. If the gang thing is true AND there is a real gang problem there

It seems entirely legit to ask him not to wear them, and it WOULD presumably cause a real danger to his own safety.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

73. If its an unwritten rule, he gets a warning the first time, not suspended

I read the follow on comments to the article. The principal has issues of his own.

[southernyankeebelle]

70. I don't believe wearing rosaries as jewelry. I carry my rosaries in

my purse all the time. I sometimes pull them out a pray when I am on my way to an appointment if its far away. I don't see anything wrong with having them in your pocket. But not wearing it around your neck.