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Committee eases naming rules; board will allow more local control over naming classrooms and fields
Summary
The policy committee amended Policy FDC to streamline the process for naming school property: streets may be renamed by board majority, classrooms and athletic fields may be named for deceased individuals upon board vote, and renaming a full school building remains more restrictive.
The Tangipahoa Parish School Board policy committee voted to amend Policy FDC (naming school board property), creating three categories for naming and clarifying when public petition is required.
Under the amended approach discussed and approved by the committee, (1) streets that the school system maintains may be renamed by majority board vote, whether the namesake is living or deceased; (2) smaller in-school dedications — individual classrooms, offices, or athletic courts — may be named after deceased individuals with board approval; and (3) renaming an entire school building or campus remains subject to a more rigorous process, which the committee agreed should include donor designation or comparable public notice and a public hearing but no longer require a petition by a majority of registered voters.
Board members debated how easy it should be to change names over time and emphasized preserving the significance of building names, given the limited supply of major facilities to name. The committee agreed to require a standard plaque for any naming approved by the board and to create clearer internal procedures so the board would not be surprised by signage changes initiated externally. A request to allow the board to name facilities without a public petition was moved by Miss Abrams and seconded by Mr. Piazza; the amendment and the final amended policy passed unanimously.
Staff will refine the redrafted language and bring a clean version back to the board for final approval; the committee also noted that some installations (for example, statues) would be handled as individual approvals.
