No more hoodies for students at 2 Worcester schools
Officials cited a “reported connection’’ between hooded sweatshirts and gang culture in the city.
It’s finally fall, which means it’s time to cozy up in your favorite hoodie. Unless you’re a high school student in Worcester.
School leaders at Burncoat High School and South High Community School have started banning students from wearing hooded sweatshirts during the day for safety reasons, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports.
The city police department suggested the ban, which was influenced by an increase in violent crime among younger residents over the summer, according to T & G.
In August, T & G covered a citywide public safety meeting that addressed this rise in crime, mentioning such instances as bullets shot into the sides of homes and “all-terrain vehicles running rampant in the streets.’’
During that meeting, Worcester Police Deputy Chief Steven M. Sargent mentioned that the gangs currently in the city’s streets are a “younger crew.’’’
The district’s school officials said their decision was made in light of a reported connection between hoodies and gang culture in the city, and also that hoodies can create safety issues if they obscure the wearer’s face, the T & G reported.
Some students have continued to wear hoodies anyway.
You can read the full Telegram & Gazette article here.
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