Board agrees by straw poll to restrict school building names to deceased individuals on next reading

At first reading of a proposed policy on naming and renaming school facilities, Glen Rock Board of Education members discussed whether school building names should be granted only to deceased individuals and conducted a straw poll that produced support for that change.

The policy (File 7250) was before the board as a first read. One board member said they do not believe a school name should honor a living person because reputations can change, describing that as “my personal thought.” Another board member said they had considered the same concern but was open to keeping discretion for strong reasons. To resolve the point before final adoption, the president called a straw poll: members were asked to raise their hands to keep the policy as written or lower them to change it to require that school buildings be named only after deceased persons.

Board members counted four hands favoring the change, and the president said she would edit the policy for the next reading to state that only buildings (not rooms) shall be named after deceased persons. The revision will appear on the subsequent reading of the policy and a final vote will follow at a later meeting.

Board members noted that smaller recognitions — such as rooms or media centers — might follow different standards and that any final naming remains subject to board approval and the formal review process outlined in the policy draft. The discussion did not produce a formal vote at first reading; it produced direction to revise the policy language and return it for subsequent consideration.