Source: www.religionnews.com
UNITED STATES, June 8, 2010: When seventh-grader Raymond Hosier was suspended for wearing rosary beads to school late last month, civil rights groups rushed to his defense. “Without question, the continuing action taken by the school district in punishing Raymond for wearing a rosary to school violates the constitutional rights of our client,” argued Jay Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice.
The problem is that Officials say the no-rosary-beads rule is necessary to “protect students from violence and gangs.” They have a point, according to gang experts. After schools began banning gang-related bandanas, clothing, and hairstyles about a decade ago, students have turned to rosaries as a subtle and often First-Amendment-protected way to signal gang allegiance.
Jared Lewis, a former police officer in California who worked in public schools, said “You are often dealing with gang members who have no inkling or cares about the religious significance of the rosary beads,” said Lewis, who now runs Know Gangs, a training group for law enforcement officials. “They are just trying to skirt around school rules under the guise of a religious symbol.”