Muscogee County high school restricts wearing camouflage because of area gang

Concerned about an increase in discipline problems possibly related to gang activity, a Columbus high school has banned large book bags and restricted the wearing of camouflage.

They are among the new policies and procedures Jordan High School implemented Monday "to ensure the orderly operation of school and the safety of everyone on campus," principal Alton White told parents and guardians in a letter.

According to the letter, the Columbus Police Department says "at least one gang in this area" wears the camouflage pattern as its colors.

"To keep students safe and to make sure no one is mistaken as a gang member," White wrote, "camouflage clothing or paraphernalia of any kind will not be allowed on campus unless it is part of the uniform for an official school sponsored activity such as JROTC."

The ban on large book bags also is related to the gang issue, White told the Ledger-Enquirer in an interview Monday afternoon. Jordan students may use drawstring bags to bring their books and gym clothes to school, where each of them was assigned a free locker at the start of the school year, instead of carrying all their stuff from class to class, he said.

"It's too easy to conceal something in a big book bag," he said.

Jordan also is requiring all students not involved in school-sponsored activities to report to the cafeteria for study hall or tutoring if they still are on campus after 3:45 p.m. Asked whether that policy is related to suspected gang activity as well, White said, "It's all connected. We're just trying to be proactive instead of reactive.

"We have such a large campus, and we have kids waiting on rides everywhere.

It's just so spread out, we feel like everybody will be safe if everyone is in one central location.

"We have teachers in there to help with homework, so we're not just sticking them somewhere and asking them to wait. If you're going to be up there until 4:30 and 5 o'clock, it's a lot better to know where you are and to be under supervision."

Asked what prompted the policy changes, White said, "We have seen an increase in some discipline issues. I don't have proof that they are gang related, but it's my feeling they are."

The discipline issues are on-campus fights, he said.

One day into the tighter restrictions, White said the only complaints he is aware of are on social media. Some parents called the school to ask questions, "but they all have been supportive," he said. "I haven't heard anything negative from a parent."

As for the students, he said, "I had several come up to me and thank me."

One snag, however, is that a camo jacket might be the only coat for some students from low-income families, White said, "so we'll work through resources to get them something else."

In an emailed response to the Ledger-Enquirer's questions Muscogee County School District communications director Valerie Fuller said no other schools in the system have the restrictions that Jordan implemented Monday.

Sgt. Roderick Graham, the officer in charge of the Criminal Intelligence Unit at the Columbus Police Department, confirmed that a gang in the city known as the "Taliban" has its members wear camouflage clothing, but whether they operate in the Jordan area, he said, "I cannot tell you."

The "Taliban" gang, which police identified in Columbus "probably four years ago," Graham said, is one of five gangs his unit tracks, although he prefers to call them "individuals involved in high-risk behavior."

Asked to describe the trend around Jordan's campus, Graham said, "There is nothing to say that there is an increase in gang activity in any one particular area. That would be a false statement. But what has increased is the police department's awareness of activity in Columbus that some refer to as street gangs."

The awareness is based on "assorted information" that "prompts the police to dig," Graham said.

Mark Rice, 706-576-6272. Follow him on Twitter@MarkRiceLE.

This story was originally published October 26, 2015 at 5:33 PM with the headline "Muscogee County high school restricts wearing camouflage because of area gang."