In order to ensure campus safety, Galileo principal Dr. Rodgers has recently taken extra steps to enforce a color ban and a closed-campus lunch policy, citing rising local gang activity. The off-campus lunch ban was put into place on October 21st and is set to last two weeks, ending on November 4th. In addition, Galileo will be banning colors like black, red, blue, and yellow—often linked to gang affiliations—and requiring students to wear visible IDs.
Explaining why the on-campus lunch policy was necessary, Dr. Rodgers said, “It’s about safety. There’s a lot of unsafe activity happening outside the campus that you [students] may not be aware of. There are adults engaging in inappropriate behavior, people fighting our students, or trying to recruit them. I have to make sure everyone is safe during the time they’re here.”
Dr. Rodgers explained that the implementation of this policy was also due to consistent tardiness after lunch, as well as an incident on October 18th where someone was shot a block away from campus. Rodgers added that her primary two concerns were of student safety, and not harming the local economy such as the numerous mom-and-pop shops that surround the school.
In terms of limiting the colors students wear, Dr. Rodgers said, “From research, I found that those colors are predominantly associated with gang activity. There’s heavy gang recruitment going on in San Francisco, not just in the schools but throughout the city. My goal as the school leader is to ensure safety on campus. If banning certain colors helps keep students safe, that’s what I have to do. This ties into our policy about wearing school IDs as well. We need to know who’s on campus and make sure students who don’t belong are easily identifiable.”
Due to widespread confusion about the specifics of the color ban, we asked for more details of how this policy was to be enforced. Dr. Rodgers elaborated by explaining that students should generally wear what they have at home, but should try to avoid darker shades of these gang-related colors. Additionally, while some students are accustomed to wearing all black, it is best advised to avoid wearing clothing that can cover up or mask your appearance.
The weekend after these policies were announced, a petition to fire Dr. Rodgers quickly began circulating, racking up signatures from students afraid of losing wardrobe options and lunchtime freedom. When asked about her thoughts on the petition, Dr. Rodgers responded, “I understand that people want to voice their opinions, but the petition isn’t valid. We’re following policies set by the state and district, so it doesn’t affect me. My spirit is still happy.”
However, there are still many mixed feelings from students and staff, who have varying beliefs on what restrictions should be placed on the community in the cause of student safety. Freshman Samiyah W., who signed the petition, said, “I think it’s dumb because I don’t get why we’re all getting punished for something two or three students did. I feel like the school’s not big enough to hold all of these students, which is why we had off campus lunch to begin with.”
Sophomore Escari B., who also signed the petition said, “I have this condition where I need to eat real food, I can’t just go spend the whole lunch waiting for some ramen,I need real food. It just doesn’t make any sense.”
While some students seemed generally opposed to Dr. Rodgers’ new policies, the staff at school tend to have a different perspective. Spanish teacher Ms. Capozzi said, “I think [the on campus lunch policy] is great for keeping students safe, and I appreciate that our current principal is taking students’ safety seriously. I think if [certain colors] are gang related, which they are, the principal has legal authority to make that decision to keep the students and staff safe in our building. She’s banning the colors for a specific reason regarding safety, so I support that.
In implementing new safety policies like the color ban and closed-campus lunch, Dr. Rodgers faces the difficult task of balancing campus security with student freedoms. While these changes aim to reduce risks linked to gang activity, they have sparked diverse responses—some students feel their personal choices and freedoms are being restricted, while staff members largely support the focus on safety. Ultimately, Dr. Rodgers remains committed to protecting students, even when it means enforcing tough rules. This debate highlights the difficult decisions school leaders must make to ensure a safe and supportive environment for everyone on campus.
