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Board to open public comment after petition requests renaming of Salem Avenue Elementary for Thomas J. Garner
Summary
Staff presented a petition circulated in late 2025 requesting Salem Avenue Elementary be renamed Thomas J. Garner Elementary; staff reported the petition surpassed the policy FF student-signature threshold, the board agreed to seek more information and will set a 30-day public comment period before final action at a subsequent business meeting.
Washington County Public Schools staff presented a community petition and board members discussed next steps for a requested renaming of Salem Avenue Elementary School to honor former principal Thomas J. Garner.
Mr. Pru, the district's chief operating officer, told the board the petition was circulated in October—November 2025 and "received over 3,000 signatures" and that student signatures exceeded the amount required by board policy FF, which sets a community-petition threshold (three-quarters of school enrollment) for renaming. Under Policy FF and accompanying regulation, staff said, the board must permit a 30-day public comment period after presenting the petition before taking final action.
Staff described several options available to the board: approve the petition to rename the school in full; instead apply a name to a portion of the facility (for example a media center or gym); or rename the road on school property in front of the campus (Blue Ribbon Way) as an honorific while leaving the school name unchanged. Staff also outlined logistical steps if the board approves a renaming: revise state records, notify the Maryland State Department of Education and interagency school-construction catalogues, update signage, and annotate student records so historical transcripts remain clear.
Board members expressed a range of views. One board member spoke in strong support of renaming Salem Avenue, saying of Garner, "It was his heart. It was his soul," and urging the board to honor community sentiment. Other members counseled caution, asking members to research naming precedents and consider long-standing honorees systemwide; several suggested alternatives such as dedicatory plaques or renaming campus roads or interior spaces. The board agreed staff should return to the June 16 meeting with additional logistical details, and that the board would set the 30-day public comment period and later seek final action after the comment period (staff targeted presenting final recommendations at the July business meeting).
No formal vote was held at the work session; staff will prepare the preliminary approvals and public-comment clock if the board indicates that is the desired path.
