Warning letters have been sent to CedarBridge Academy students suspected of being gang members or affiliates in an effort to crack down on anti-social behaviour.

Twenty-eight students at the Government senior school were asked to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) after they were determined to be affiliated with a gang or were involved in gang activity. It was sent to students and their parents, with three parents expressing concern.

According to Principal Kalmar Richards, the memorandum was part of an effort to "maintain a safe and peaceful school".

She said: "We are taking a proactive approach to addressing safety issues in our school. One strategy involved communicating to specific students and their parents the concerns that we have about their child's affiliation and or involvement with gang activity, outlining what we consider to be gang activity, based on research, and the consequences that would be issued if their child chose to engage in such activities at school."

Mrs. Richards continued: "We issued letters to 28 students and their parents in an effort to be proactive and they were asked to sign a memorandum of understanding about this matter.

"Three parents expressed concerns about receiving the letter and MOU. A letter outlining our position on gang-related activities will be distributed to all students and parents. The consequences outlined are not new and are covered in the school's code of conduct."

Mrs. Richards also said the school was in the midst of developing an action plan to encourage good behaviour.

Yesterday, Shadow Education Minister Grant Gibbons stressed the importance of safety in schools, saying: "While it's encouraging to hear that students who are potential gang members, or are at risk, are being identified by the CedarBridge administration, it still leaves many unanswered questions about the details of their overall plan, how effective their approach has been to date and how compliance is being checked.

"All schools, not just the senior schools, should have a plan in place to identify gang activity and clear procedures to both mitigate any potential problems and protect students at risk.

"Students at the primary and middle level may be exposed to older siblings or family involved in gang activity. This is not a new problem and the gang risk has clearly been present for a number of years."

Dr. Gibbons urged the Ministry and the school principals to tell parents how they would be tackling the problem of students who may have gang connections.

Some of the actions the school is already taking include educating students and teachers on anti-social activities, providing support and intervention for students with challenges and posting signs around the schools saying CedarBridge is a neutral zone.

Mrs. Richards said: "We are committed to providing a quality education experience for all students within a safe and peaceful environment. We expect our students to come to school each day prepared to work together, to support one another and to give their best efforts.

"The majority of our parents support our efforts to provide a safe and peaceful environment for all students. When we have some who criticise the actions we are taking to maintain a safe and peaceful school for all, it is counterproductive.

"We challenge those parents who are criticising us for our efforts to get on board."

Asked for comment, Acting Assistant Commissioner of Police Andrew Boyce said: "Our information is that children as young as twelve years old have been recruited into gangs. With this in mind, we utilise our Schools Resource Officers who have received formal training overseas in Education and Diversion to help children resist efforts to recruit them into gangs.

"We are very grateful to the Department of Education for the tremendous support which they have provided us in dealing with this community problem. We also work in close partnership with other government departments and agencies which have responsibility for the welfare of children in this regard.

"While being a member of a gang is not in itself unlawful, membership of a gang is likely to expose children to criminality. The Bermuda Police Service targets its gang enforcement activities against criminal behaviour rather than membership in a gang."