SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The San Francisco school board has voted to remove the names of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln from public schools after officials deemed them and other prominent figures, including Sen. Dianne Feinstein, unworthy of the honor.
After months of controversy, the board voted 6-1 Tuesday in favor of renaming 44 San Francisco school sites with new names with no connection to slavery, oppression, racism or similar criteria, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Feinstein's name was added to the list because as mayor she replaced a vandalized Confederate flag that was part of a long-standing flag display in front of City Hall.
Critics called the process slapdash, with little to no input from historians and a lack of information on the basis for each recommendation. In one instance, the committee didn't know whether Roosevelt Middle School was named after Theodore or Franklin Delano.
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"I must admit there are reasons to support this resolution, but I can't," said community member Jean Barish, who said the process has been flawed and based on emotion rather than expertise. "These are not decisions that should be made in haste."
School board members have insisted that the renaming is timely and important, given the country's reckoning with a racist past. They have argued the district is capable of pursuing multiple priorities at the same time, responding to critics who say more pressing issues deserve attention.
In some schools, families argued for a name change for years, including those at James Denman Middle School, named after the first superintendent, a racist leader who denied Chinese students a public education. Others argued that current names mean students are wearing school sweatshirts with the names of slave owners, including Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.
"It's a message to our families, our students and our community," said board member Mark Sanchez. "It's not just symbolic. It's a moral message."
Well, the SFSD cannot educate kids, is resisting efforts to bring the students back into the classroom and almost 50% of SF children are attending private schools. What else is there to do for the PC school board? Remove the names of all white supremacists who, BTW, were the ones that make this Country attractive enough to bring the forefather of these morons on the Board to a better life. Perhaps we can expect names like Xi Ping, Mao, and the ultimate hero of the left, Fidel Castro on those schools.
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(2) comments
Is there anyone out there OK with this?
Well, the SFSD cannot educate kids, is resisting efforts to bring the students back into the classroom and almost 50% of SF children are attending private schools. What else is there to do for the PC school board? Remove the names of all white supremacists who, BTW, were the ones that make this Country attractive enough to bring the forefather of these morons on the Board to a better life. Perhaps we can expect names like Xi Ping, Mao, and the ultimate hero of the left, Fidel Castro on those schools.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
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PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
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