GIRL'S SUSPENSION OVER SWEAT SHIRT CLEARED FROM RECORD
Daily News of Los Angeles (CA) - Saturday, February 15, 1992
Author: Russell Rian Daily News Staff Writer
The school district has cleared a suspension from the records of a Burbank High student who was sent home for wearing a sweat shirt with lettering that officials associate with gangs, the student's mother said Friday. The student, 15-year-old Monica Marquez, was informed of the decision in a letter of apology from Superintendent Arthur Pierce of the Burbank Unified School District.
A claim filed Feb. 3 by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of Marquez asked for the suspension to be cleared from records and $50,000 for emotional distress. "We won the first battle," said the student's mother, Ruth Cisneros. ''But the district is still denying her the right to wear the shirt, which we feel is anti-gang and has nothing to do with gangs." Pierce confirmed that he sent the letter but refused further comment on the case.
Marquez was suspended Dec. 19 for wearing a black sweat shirt with white Old English-style lettering stating "In Memory of Kenny Caldera , in Christ Hands Now." Caldera is a former Burbank High School football star who was killed last August during a drive-by shooting in Panorama City. Police said Caldera was not a gang member, but was mistaken for one.
School officials object to the Old English-style lettering, saying it is sometimes used to convey gang messages and therefore violates the district's ban on gang-related clothing. Pierce said Friday that the district's policy has not changed. "After a review of all the circumstances concerning the suspension, I have ordered that the suspension of two days be reversed," Pierce said in the letter. "All record of Monica's suspension will be expunged from her files. She will be treated as if no suspension occurred. "I regret that the suspension occurred under all the circumstances, but the administrators of Burbank High were motivated by concerns over the continued safety of Monica and other students," the letter said. See my previous post on Kenny Caldera
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