You said it.
I feel for the young man and his loss, yet even if for the wrong reason, the school is correct in asking the young man to remove the Rosary Beads. I teach in a CATHOLIC SCHOOL, and we do NOT allow the wearing of Rosary Beads. They are NOT an adornment. They are to be used for prayer and prayer alone and it is against the teachings of the Catholic Church to wear them. That said, unfortunately, they have become a gang symbol for many local hoods. Either way, we do NOT allow it. I’m sure the school on question is doing this based strictly on political correctness and the bogus notion of the separation of church and state, but however inadvertant, they are actually right.