For the safety of all students, gang members must be kicked out of the city's schools and put in an alternative program, an upset parent urged the Salt Lake Board of Education Tuesday night.

Describing herself as "concerned, upset, affected and outraged," Marianne Webster said last week's gang-related shooting of East High assistant football coach Bill Price makes it "painfully obvious" that not enough has been done to curb gang activity in the city schools.Price was shot in the leg on the first day of school, Aug. 27, after he tried to head off a confrontation by rival gangs on the school's football field. Webster's son and a foreign exchange student from Japan, who is living with her family this school year, witnessed the shooting.

"Our kids are not safe in school now," said Webster, who also spoke as a representative of the Yalecrest Community Council. The council represents the neighborhood east of the high school, 840 S. 1300 East.

For two years, East's neighbors have been "aware of the gangs spilling over onto the front yards on 900 South," she said.

After talking with members of the Salt Lake Area Gang project, which is comprised of valley law enforcement agencies, Webster said she's convinced that the schools must adopt a zero-tolerance policy with gangs and the wearing of gang clothing.

"What I am asking the school board to do is simply remove them (gang members) from the regular schools and put them someplace where they can be helped, for the safety of the rest of the students," Webster said.

East principal R. Kay Petersen said it wouldn't be that easy. East already prohibits the wearing of gang symbols and clothing, but it would be difficult to expel students based on what they wear. Gang members commonly adopt the insignias of professional sports teams.

"How do you separate a student wearing a (Los Angeles) Raiders jacket from the one who happens to be a fan from the one who happens to be a gang member?" the principal asked. "It's very easy to make a decision about a student who could then be discriminated against."

"We have the lives of our students at stake here," responded Webster. "You need to act in the good of the majority and not simply worry about what the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) is going to do to you."

School board President Alan Mecham agreed something more has to be done. He said that's why the board appointed a task force last spring to study gang-related issues, including dress, and to make policy recommendations to the board.

The task force is still at work, and they are looking at possible policies dealing with intervention and prevention as well as a dress code, he said.

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Mecham said the board will not "all of sudden adopt a policy that will be struck down by the courts" while it's in a panic over the East shooting.

Herminio Trujillo, chairman of the dress code subcommittee, said he plans to meet with principals to get their suggestions. The subcommittee has wants to know if the schools desire specific language in the code relating to the following issues: Immodest and suggestive clothing, safety, cleanliness and personal grooming, apparel advocating illegal or inappropriate behavior or language, head wear and gang symbols.

Board members indicated that they would like the subcommittee to propose a general district-wide dress code that individual schools can enhance according to their circumstances.

The school board's current code says only that "students are expected to come to school clean and appropriately dressed for schoolwork."

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