Last modified: Tuesday, November 25, 2008 12:20 PM PST Ontario Middle School students walk to their next round of afternoon classes last month. The Ontario School Board recently voiced support for an Ontario Police Department proposed ordinance to establish anti-gang zones at and around Ontario schools. The Ontario City Council will formally vote on the issue. Gang challenge By JESSICA KELLER ARGUS OBSERVER ONTARIO — Both the Ontario middle and high school principals say gang-related activity and incidents are more prevalent, and likely under-reported, than many realize. The two educators showed that stark message with the Ontario School Board Thursday night, prior to the board members voting to support a city ordinance to establish gang-free zones at, and surrounding, Ontario schools. The briefing also opened a discussion about extending the uniform policy to include the high school. OMS Principal Paul Erlebach and OHS Principal Bret Uptmor were asked to give presentations to the School Board about gang problems at their schools and how the schools deal with such issues. Both Erlebach and Uptmor both conveyed anecdotes regarding experiences with students involved in gangs or students trying to avoid gangs at their schools, and the local education leaders said gangs will not be eliminated completely from their schools. Erlebach said, since the beginning of the school year, there have been seven incidents involving gangs at the middle school, but he does not think that’s an accurate count. While he was preparing his report, he said he spoke with a student gang member who stolen some things from his mother. Erlebach said, while talking with the student, he noticed a gold crown drawn on the student’s homework, which a teacher might not recognize as a gang symbol, but which he did. “So when I say seven incidents, I think that’s an under-representation of the true nature of what’s going on,” Erlebach said. He presented a list of things to board members the middle school does to address and discourage gang problems, including teacher training and educational programs for the students. Still, Erlebach said, not one thing or program will be a cure all, and he said he thought an anti-gang zone would be beneficial at the school. “I think it would be another tool in the toolbox,” he said. Uptmor concurred an anti-gang zone would be beneficial at the high school because gang members have been known to wait across the street from the school during the day, which creates additional tension that can be felt at the high school. A gang-free zone would allow the Ontario Police Department to arrest designated gang members who are not allowed to be on any school property  for any reason and cite them for misdemeanor trespassing. The ordinance would not apply to students of the high school who are there to attend class or other functions. Uptmor said the gang ordinance, which the high school resource officer created for OPD, might help eliminate some of that tension, which can be very distracting even if no violence occurs. “So, anytime I can remove that tension, the better off we’ll be,” Uptmor said. School Board Member John Phillips said he thought also pursuing a uniform policy at the high school makes sense when it has been shown to work on a number of levels and has been successfully implemented at the middle school. Otherwise, he said, the school district may backslide in terms of progress. “To me it wouldn’t be as difficult to do it in the high school as in the middle school,” Phillips said. While the high school does forbid certain types of clothing associated with gangs, the general consensus among the School Board members was a uniform policy should be considered. While Phillips thought it would be easy to institute one based on the middle school’s policy, Superintendent Dennis Carter, echoed by some teachers in the audience, advised parental participation in some form, and it was agreed a survey seeking ideas on what parents would like the dress code to address would be sent out. “I’d hate to think we'd have to reinvent the wheel,” Phillips said, adding he'd like the issue to be taken care of before the end of the school year.