School dress code: Top 10 offenses

Here’s a breakdown of some common fashion contraband categories.

4. Showing your gang colors

Ann Hermes/The Christian Science Monitor
A young man shows his tattoo for the 'Hard Livings' gang on September 14 in Manenberg, a township of Cape Town, South Africa.

In recent years, many schools have added specific bans against symbols, colors, accessories, jewelry, and messages that advertise or identify gang affiliation.

In many cases, school administrators have established partnerships with law enforcement agencies to stay informed about the changing trends and codes associated with local gang culture.

Some schools keep these policies vague, like East Boston High School which simply bans any "clothing that makes explicit reference to gangs," while others address the issue more specifically, as at Mountain Home High School in Kansas, which prohibits "signs, emblems, signals, writing, and satanic markings" that could be construed as gang affiliated.

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