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Rialto board halts immediate renaming of Chávez–Huerta center, directs community survey
Summary
Trustees debated removing César Chávez from a campus name and instead voted to withdraw the item for now and instruct staff to survey district residents (by zip codes) about renaming. Board members emphasized honoring community input and following board policy for facility naming.
A proposal to change the name on a district education center from "César Chávez/Dolores Huerta" to a single name prompted extended discussion Wednesday night, and trustees ultimately withdrew the item while directing staff to survey the local community about renaming.
Board members said the original naming had been community-led and that the board should solicit neighborhood feedback before acting. One trustee urged retaining Dolores Huerta’s name while removing César Chávez; others cautioned that community input should be broad and that the district’s naming policy (Board Policy 7310) requires a clear process.
District staff reported there were social‑media comments on the topic but no formal mass correspondence to the communications office. Trustees directed staff to conduct a community survey targeted to residents inside district zip codes and to return with results and recommendations before any formal renaming vote. The board characterized the action as giving staff a clear direction to engage parents, students and residents rather than taking immediate action.
Next steps: staff will design a neutral community survey, gather input from parents and residents within district boundaries and report findings back to the board for a future decision. Trustees asked that the survey avoid preselecting names and instead ask whether the community desires a change and, if so, what process and criteria should guide it.
