No-tolerance policy in place now

Superintendent of Education John DeCotis made it clear last week the system will not tolerate any gang or gang-related activity in the schools.

In fact, officials from the school system plan to conduct meetings at each of the county’s five high schools in February to underscore their commitment to not letting gangs gain a foothold in the community.

DeCotis addressed the gang situation at a press conference last Thursday after the first gang-related arrest in Fayetteville at the beginning of this year.

Andre Scott, 17, of Vickery Lane was charged with four felonies relating to gang activity and one misdemeanor count of disrupting a public school.

Fayetteville Police Chief Steve Heaton said earlier this month that Scott is apparently a leader of the gang called GBD, which includes members of the nationally based gangs, the Bloods and the Crips.

DeCotis said the school system has had a policy in place for several years that focuses on any gang activity.

The policy reads that “a gang member is a person who is part of an association of three or more people, associated for common purpose, which engages, individually or collectively, in illegal behavior.”

“Gang-related activity includes, but is not limited to, communication of gang affiliation through hand sign flashing, wearing of clothing articles in a certain way or color scheme, jewelry, tattoos, gang signs, symbols or graffiti on personal items, vandalism of public or private property and acts of intimidation, threats, fighting or other forms of violence,” the system policy says.

DeCotis said the penalties for any form of gang activity start with parental notification, along with a possible short-term suspension that could lead to a permanent expulsion.

“We want to be proactive about this situation and let parents know how to recognize gang signs or activities,” DeCotis said.

The school system is not the only group worried about the possible impact of gangs in the county.

On Tuesday, the Fayette County branch of the NAACP announced a community-wide meeting about the issue. The meeting is Monday night at 7 p.m. at Sams Auditorium in Fayetteville and is being moderated by the Rev. Melvin Ware. For more information about the meeting, call 770-460-9934.