MOSES LAKE – Moses Lake School District staff deny claims that students have had rosaries taken from them at Frontier Middle School after a student who attended that campus was killed in a March 21 drive-by shooting.  

“In consultation with local law enforcement and out of an abundance of caution for individual safety, we ask that individuals cover any visible rosaries,” said MLSD Director of Communications Ryan Shannon. “Unfortunately, items like these have, at times, been associated with gang affiliations. As such, and in accordance with the dress code outlined in our student handbook, we kindly ask that rosaries be worn discreetly under a shirt or jacket.” 

According to reporting by The Reporter, the official newspaper of the Lutheran Church, various gangs have used rosaries to indicate gang affiliation and rank within gangs. Examples include the Latin Kings using specific bead combinations to identify affiliation and rank within the gang; the Netas, an East Coast gang originating in Puerto Rico wearing 78 red, white and blue beads to symbolize the 78 towns of Puerto Rico.  

MLSD has not banned the wearing of rosaries, but the district’s handbook does ask that they be worn discretely to ensure they are not used in a way other than for religious purposes.  

Multiple court decisions nationwide have indicated that schools may not ban the wearing of a rosary, with one case indicating that such general bans are too vague and do not adequately address the gang-affiliation aspect of the situation.