Title adjustments may very well be thought of for no less than eight Fayette County Public Faculties by a brand new committee accredited Thursday by the college board.
To this point, two faculties — Dixie Elementary and Lexington Conventional Magnet Faculty — have been advisable for speedy title adjustments.
No selections have been made but, district officers stated Friday.
The names of six different faculties have been advisable for additional evaluate: Yates Elementary, Stonewall Elementary, Henry Clay Excessive Faculty, Squires Elementary, Breckinridge Elementary and Martin Luther King Academy.
It was not instantly clear how the committee determined which faculty names to evaluate, however they embrace faculties named for Stonewall Estates, which opened in 1961 on the outdated Stonewall Farm; former Kentucky Congressman Henry Clay, who inherited slaves as a baby however adopted some abolitionist views as an grownup; and Civil Rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.
The potential title adjustments come after, within the fall of 2022, the Board of Training tasked an present Fairness Council Committee with recommending a faculty naming coverage that displays the district’s present values. Then, the council was tasked with evaluating present faculty names and mascots to see in the event that they have been in step with the coverage, and recommending adjustments in the event that they weren’t.
The Fairness Council Committee submitted names for evaluate on Might 21, and a brand new committee, accredited Thursday, will undertake that evaluate.
Katie Williams, director of communications for the college district on Friday stated on the August 8 board work session, the one matter mentioned relating to faculty names have been the suggestions from the Fairness Council Committee to contemplate title adjustments for Dixie Elementary and Lexington Conventional Magnet Faculty.
The opposite faculties are merely names that the fairness council committee knowledgeable the board they’re reviewing, she stated.
“It’s vital to notice that no selections have been made but,” Williams stated.
At Thursday’s assembly, Williams stated, the college board instructed Superintendent Demetrus Liggins to comply with established coverage by forming a committee of native stakeholders for Dixie Elementary and Lexington Conventional Magnet Faculty to evaluate their campus names and decide whether or not a reputation change is needed.
If the committee of stakeholders determines {that a} title change is desired, the administration will comply with a course of much like the one used for naming the brand new campuses set to open in 2025: the Hub for Progressive Studying and Management (HILL) and Mary E. Britton Center Faculty. Solely at that time, if it reaches that stage, would a suggestion be made to the board, Williams stated.
Williams stated the Fairness Council Committee’s analysis of faculty names will think about a wide range of views, together with enter from the neighborhood, historic context, and the influence on college students and households earlier than they make further suggestions for title adjustments for any faculties.
“We admire the neighborhood’s curiosity on this matter and encourage everybody to remain engaged as our ECC and (faculty board) proceed this vital work,” she stated.
