Students Receive Suspensions For Wearing Crucifixes

Administrators at an Oregon high school suspended two students for wearing crucifixes to school and refusing to take them off, the Associated Press reported.

Claiming the crucifixes displayed “gang-related behavior,” Greg Equinoa, South Albany High School’s principal, asked Jaime Salazar, 14, and Marco Castro, 16, to put their crucifixes away. The two students refused, saying the crosses were gifts from their mothers. Salazar was sent to the office but chose to go home instead. His suspension included the charge of “defiance” along with wearing gang-affiliated clothing. According to KVAL-TV in Eugene, Ore., Salazar received a five-day suspension, while Castro's discipline is for three days.

Castro’s crucifix hung from a string of rosary beads and a tiny picture of the Virgin Mary.

Equinoa said he was not trying to infringe on religious rights but protects students’ safety and that he has the right to enforce the dress code, regardless of religious symbolism. Local law enforcement confirmed that the crucifix and other religious symbols have been the markings of local gangs for several years.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon has spoken out in defense of the students. The director, Dave Fidanque, said, "The critical thing is keeping the kids in school. I worry about any enforcement action by school officials if they don't know what they're doing."

The boys also assert they the are not in a gang but were discrinated against because they are Latino, KVAL-TV reported.