Parents:

• Spend sufficient time with your children. Convince them that they are an important part of the family.  
• Insist on meeting your children's friends and the parents of these friends. 
• Know where your children are going, with whom, how they are traveling, and when to expect them home. 
• Set rules and enforce them. Children whose parents do not set and enforce rules will conform to a gang's rules because a gang will tolerate nothing else. 
• Communicate with teachers. Ask them for information on gang-type behavior. 
• Encourage legitimate out-of-school interests to make your children feel they are part of a group. 
• Talk to your children about gangs, their recruitment tactics, and their activities. Explain why gangs are dangerous. Mention the constant threat of violence, the hatred gang members face from members of other gangs, gang-member drug use, and the chance of getting arrested or killed. 
• Don't try to be an expert on gangs. No one has all the answers. 

Schools and Communities 

• Learn about gangs and obtain training on how to prevent them from forming. 
• Look for changes in the community. 
• Report graffiti to law-enforcement authorities and have them photograph it. Remove graffiti as soon as possible. Keep a file on graffiti. 
• Develop and strictly enforce clear written rules and regulations that prohibit gangs. 
• Ensure administrative staff, counselors, and teachers are visible and accessible to students. 
• Keep the school grounds clean. 
• Minimize time between classes.
• Deal with rumors as if they were true. 
• Keep the staff informed. 
• Set up a security program that includes schools and the community.
  

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