ST. LOUIS BOARD OF EDUCATION POLICY

CONSTRUCTION

NAMING OF SCHOOL FACILITIES

General Requirements

The Board of Education shall approve the official names of all school buildings. In selecting names for new school buildings, recommendations will be considered from the superintendent of schools, interested citizens, students, or staff. Proposed names may be submitted by the superintendent to the school staff, students, and interested citizen groups for reaction. Final recommendation shall be forwarded by the superintendent to the Board of Education for approval.

The following criteria will generally pertain to any recommendations of persons’ names for schools:

1. Buildings will not be named for living persons.

2. Schools will be named for persons identified with public education or who have rendered some other distinguished public service locally, nationally, or internationally.

Once a person’s name has been proposed, written authorization should be secured by the superintendent from the closest relative to the third degree of the decedent before any official action is taken by the board.

A school building name, other than the name of a person, may be considered in naming new school buildings. Names may be recommended using the following guidelines:

1. A school name may be recommended considering its geographical location.

Naming of School Facilities (continued) P7600

2. A school name may be recommended considering its function. A distinction may be made between the building name and the official name of the program(s) housed in the building. Buildings will retain the names they were given at the time of dedication by the Board of Education, such as, hypothetically, “The Pre-School Academy in the Brown Building,” or “The St. Louis Pre-School Academy in the Brown Building.”

The superintendent shall use the name procedure as outlined for naming schools after persons in securing reactions to the suggested name. Following the adoption of the official naming (or renaming) of a new school building or program housed within the building, the administrative officers of the board will be authorized to give public notice of such action and to modify existing records and other legal documents as may be necessary.

Policy adopted: July 24, 2001