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Board approves renaming of John O'Connell school, community argues simplification will reduce stigma
Summary
After a staff presentation and public testimony from students, alumni and teachers, the San Francisco Board of Education voted to simplify John O'Connell’s name to 'John O'Connell High School' to reduce confusion caused by many inconsistent names in use across documents and signage.
The San Francisco Board of Education approved a superintendent’s proposal at second reading to change the permanent name of John O’Connell Alternative High School of Technology to John O’Connell High School.
Guadalupe Guerrero introduced the proposal, noting multiple inconsistent usages of the school’s name across district and state databases and on the school’s own signage. Principal Martin Gomez and a delegation of students, alumni and staff — including a student speaker who said the word 'alternative' led some prospective students to draw incorrect conclusions about the school — urged adoption.
Teachers and alumni described the school’s vocational and career-oriented history and told the board the shorter name better reflects the school’s current program and avoids confusion for families and applicants. The board’s Building & Grounds committee had given a positive recommendation and the board followed with a formal roll-call approval (recorded as six ayes).
The board welcomed the clarification and thanked the school community for its presentation and outreach. The superintendent encouraged continued partnerships to support the school's programs and career-technical offerings.
