Tx Student told rosary beads are "Gang Symbol

[CSA FD]

Texas High School Student Told Rosary Is 'Gang Symbol'
Tuesday, September 16, 2008

A Texas teen claims she is forbidden from wearing a rosary around her neck in school because the Catholic prayer beads are a gang symbol, MyFOXDFW.com reported.

Tabitha Ruiz was stopped by security guards at Seagoville High School in Dallas last week and told to take off the silver and ruby beaded rosary, a gift from her mother. On Monday, the same thing happened when she again came to the school wearing the beads.

"I went to school, walked through the metal detectors and they told me to take it off," the teen said. "I asked them why and they said because it's gang-related."

Ruiz and her mother, Taire Ferguson, said they had no idea that rosary beads were a gang symbol. Police, however, are well aware.

"Lately they’ve been seen wearing religious jewelry such as the rosary worn by gang members, so it is a factor," Sr. Cpl Kevin Janse of the Dallas Police Department told the FOX affiliate.

While rosaries are not specifically banned in area schools, a spokesman for the Dallas Independent School District said that whether or not they're allowed is at the principal’s discretion.

Ruiz and her mother have vowed to take the district to court if necessary.

[CSA FD]

Student Claims She Was Humiliated By Teacher Over Rosary
Oct. 3, 2008

SAN ANTONIO -- An eighth-grader at a northwest side charter school said she was humiliated by one of her teachers over her religious expression.

Kelsey, a 13-year-old at the School of Science and Technology's Discovery campus, said one of her teachers humiliated her in front of her classmates while repeatedly questioning her religious beliefs because she wore a Catholic rosary.

"She told me to take it off, and I told her no," Kelsey said. "So she took me to the principal's office and he took it away from me, and told me to get it at the end of the day."

Kelsey said she continued to wear the rosary to school only to have the unidentified teacher question her religious beliefs.

"She has this teacher who is picking on her (about) something that's none of her business, and no one will speak to me about it or address the situation," said Marleana Ayala, Kelsey's mother.

School officials refused to speak about the situation, but did release a statement to KSAT 12 News.

"Students have no problem exercising freedom of speech and freedom of religion, as long as they follow the general school's rules and do not interfere with the rights of others," the statement read. The statement did not elaborate on the exact school policy when pertaining to religious items.