San Francisco is pushing ahead with a plan to rename dozens of public schools, committing to potentially remove names of public figures such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
A "blue ribbon panel of community leaders" recommended 44 school names be changed, joining many other renamed institutions across the country, as the U.S. reckons with its history of racial injustice. But the move has also sparked debate in San Francisco about its timing and whether the list is overly broad.
The San Francisco Board of Education passed the resolution on Tuesday in a 6-1 vote, prompting mixed reaction from parents and Mayor London Breed. The resolution requires that the public submit alternative names by April 19, after which the panel will make its recommendations to the school board.
"This is an important conversation to have, and one that we should involve our communities, our families, and our students," Breed said in a statement Wednesday. "What I cannot understand is why the School Board is advancing a plan to have all these schools renamed by April, when there isn't a plan to have our kids back in the classroom by then. Our students are suffering, and we should be talking about getting them in classrooms, getting them mental health support, and getting them the resources they need in this challenging time."