"They Tell Us You Cannot Bring Headphones and Handheld CD Players to School"

"They tell us you cannot bring headphones and handheld CD players to school. I got in trouble last month."

Matt Carter, 15, is the bassist/vocalist for Rookie 7. The Santana High sophomore said he was "busted" by campus security.

"One of the narcs told me to take off my headphones or they were gonna take them away and send me to the office."

Santana High has enforced a no-headphone policy for three years. Some students claimed last year that the ban was connected to the 2001 on-campus gun spree by 15-year-old student Charles "Andy" Williams that left 13 wounded and 2 dead. One rumor had it that one of those killed was wearing headphones at the time of the shooting and therefore could not hear what was going on.

Grossmont Union High School District spokesman Mark Pettis in March of last year said the headset ban was not imposed because of the killings, but because "it is a deterrence to social interaction," and that during breaks, "teachers and administrators couldn't communicate with students if they were doing something inappropriate."

Pettis "is no longer with the district," said an employee at the district office. His replacement, Catherine Martin, did not respond to a request for comment. Vice principal Jerry Schniepp, who oversees campus security at Santana High, was also unavailable for comment. Rookie 7 appears with Zero 2 None, Grandview, Freshé Pepper, Roosevelt, 7:30 p.m., December 17 at Soma; all ages, admission is $7.