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Board approves renaming Pelican Island Elementary to Pelican Island Classical Magnet School
Summary
Following a public forum and stakeholder work group, the School Board unanimously approved renaming Pelican Island Elementary to Pelican Island Classical Magnet School; the committee recommended the new name and the board followed the policy-required process.
The School Board of Indian River County unanimously approved renaming Pelican Island Elementary to Pelican Island Classical Magnet School.
District staff said they followed Policy 72-50 (Commemoration of School Facilities) and hosted a community forum on Feb. 12, 2025; 17 attendees provided input and a subsequent work group consisting of parents, students, faculty and district staff voted unanimously to recommend the new name.
Doctor Jared Schefft (district staff) told the board the work group recommended the name after discussing several options and that Pelican Island did not have a student council, so the committee included an enrolled student to represent student input.
During board discussion trustees debated whether to include “K-8” in the official name to highlight the school’s configuration as it adds middle grades. Board member Jackie Rosario and others said parents often look for K-8 designations when evaluating schools and called the K-8 label an “attractor.” District staff and several board members noted that the work group had considered branding and chose "Pelican Island Classical Magnet School" as the committee’s preferred phrasing and had concerns about premature use of "K-8" before the school’s middle grades were fully open.
A Moms for Liberty representative, speaking during public comment, said the group supported the classical magnet proposal; the speaker praised the change as a community-friendly, choice-oriented improvement.
The motion to approve the renaming carried 5-0. Superintendent David Moore and district staff will update administrative materials and web listings to reflect the new name and proceed with the district’s notification process.
What’s next: the district will update the school’s signage, website and enrollment materials and proceed with the planned rollout; board members said they will revisit naming for other schools through the established policy process if and when those sites change programmatically.
Votes at a glance: renaming Pelican Island Elementary to Pelican Island Classical Magnet School — approved 5-0.
