High School Student Suspended For Wearing Rosary Outside Of Shirt

It was not the rosary, but how a Mayfield High School student wore it that got him suspended.

?I was surprised,? Pablo Torres, a Mayfield Junior, said. ?I was actually a little offended.”

Torres said his wooden rosary was draped around his neck last week for all to see when his teacher told him to conceal it.

“My teacher told me to tuck in my rosary, so I refused,? Torres said.

And Las Cruces Public School District officials said his refusal to follow school rules landed Torres a one-day suspension.

“It has nothing to do with religion, it has everything to do about safety,” Jo Galvan, spokesperson for LCPS, said.

District officials said at Mayfield, the way rosaries are worn could be misinterpreted as gang-related.

“They told me it was gang-affiliated,? Torres said. ?And that I wasn’t allowed to wear it because it was an identifier to other gangs.”

Students can have rosaries in class, but district officials said they must be concealed underneath clothes.

“A student can wear a cross under the shirt, but the problem with a rosary is it is affiliated with gangs,? Galvan said. ?This student isn’t a gang member, that’s not what we’re saying, but we want to protect him. It’s all about safety. We’re trying to protect kids from being labeled inappropriately.”

But Torres said he feels the school is inappropriately labeling his purpose for wearing the religious symbol.

?I use this to concentrate sometimes on my writing pieces, usually around fourth period which is English,? Torres said.

And despite consequences, Torres said his cross will remain outside his shirt for all to see.

?This is how I was brought up and I?m going to keep with it,? Torres said.

On the LCPS District?s website, under a section for ?Dress Code Policy? reads:

The purpose is ?To ensure that a student?s dress or appearance does not disrupt or disturb the educational process nor shall constitute a threat to health or safety to themselves or to others.? ??The principal shall take appropriate action with students who violate the requirements. However, students will be given an opportunity to correct the situation.?

But it?s when students do not follow the rules, school officials said, they face short or long-term suspension.

To read more about the LCPS District?s dress code policy, click on the ?Hot Button.?