EDITOR,

Why is it that every time someone decides to not follow rules that are set for the good of everyone, they are “being picked on”? I am tired of kids today believing they are above the rules, and their parents support them. 

There is a reason this type of clothing is banned at school. It falls into the “gang category.” (See “Teen in trouble for wearing too much red” in Sunday’s Tracy Press.)

You know the old saying that “if it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, it must be

a duck”? School officials can only go by what they see. These kids might not be in a gang, but what if they are? What if they came to school with a gun and wounded someone? Who do you think everyone would be blaming for not protecting his or her kids? The school administrators, of course.

These administrators cannot follow each child home to determine if they are gang members. They cannot address the issue on a one-to-one basis, and they should not have to. That is why rules are implemented, for everyone.

Unfortunately, gangs are a presence in Tracy, and the schools must take steps to provide a safe learning environment for everyone. If you want to dress like a gang member, that’s fine, but not at school. If more parents supported the rules of our society instead of crying, “We are being picked on,” more kids might grow up following those rules as adults. 

— Sue Rainey, Tracy