| Defiance City School District |
| Bylaws & Policies |
5840.01 - GANGS
Defiance City Schools recognize that schools must create a safe environment in which learning can take place. The presence of gangs within a school disrupts the environment by threatening the safety of the students in the building and causing disruption to the academic process. Gang activities also create an atmosphere of intimidation in the entire school community. In order to ensure safe and violence free schools, the Board of Education established the policy that gangs and gang activity are prohibited in the Defiance City Schools.
DEFINITION: A gang is any identifiable group or club who displays or communicates membership in that group and whose purposes include the commission of illegal acts or the violation or disciplinary rules of the Defiance City Schools.
PROCEDURE: In accordance with the Safe School Act of 1994, no student on school property, to or from school, at any school function shall:
| A. | wear, possess, use, distribute, display, or sell any clothing, jewelry, emblem, badge, symbol, sign, or other items that evidences or reflects membership in, or affiliation with any gang. | |
| B. | engage in any act that furthers the interest of any gang or gang activity, including, but not limited to: |
| 1. | soliciting membership in or affiliation with any gang; | ||
| 2. | soliciting any person to pay for "protection" or threatening any person, explicitly or implicitly, with any other illegal or prohibited act; | ||
| 3. | painting, writing, tattooing, or otherwise inscribing gang related graffiti, messages, symbols or signs on one's self, school property, or personal property; | ||
| 4. | using hand gestures for gang "signing"; | ||
| 5. | engaging in violence, extortion, or any other illegal act or other violation of school property; | ||
| 6. | soliciting any person to engage in physical violence against any other person. |
INTERVENTION: It is believed that early intervention in the gang activity process means less distraction for the student who may be harmfully involved. In determining, as part of the application and enforcement of this policy, whether acts, conduct, or activities are gang related, school officials will exercise discretion and judgement based upon current circumstances in their schools, neighborhoods and communities.
The removal of gang related graffiti shall be a priority in maintenance of school property. After police notification, all such graffiti on school or personal property shall be removed or covered within twenty-four (24) hours of its first appearance, or as soon as possible, unless additional time is needed to obtain replacements for damaged items. School officials will work closely with local law enforcement officials in controlling gang related activities.