S.F. Might Change 44 School Names, Renouncing Washington, Lincoln and Even Dianne Feinstein

A third of San Francisco public schools could see their names changed as officials push to replace “inappropriate” ones honoring presidents, writers, generals and even Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

Parents and principals at 44 sites were forced to scramble this week to brainstorm new school names while also juggling the demands of distance learning in a pandemic.

Those names on the school buildings, including Lincoln, Washington and Jefferson, that have connections to slavery, genocide or oppression should be changed, according to a committee recommendation heading to the school board.

More than a third of the district’s 125 schools made the list of objectionable names, which also included Balboa, Lowell and Mission high schools, as well as Roosevelt and Presidio middle schools and Webster, Sanchez and Jose Ortega elementary schools.

The move comes amid a national reckoning on racism, but it also arrives in the wake of another controversial move by the district to address the country’s painful past: covering a mural depicting slavery and Native American mistreatment. Some of the alumni involved in the mural fight are gearing up for another battle over the renaming.

The request for name changes shocked many principals and families, who questioned whether changing a name was a mid-pandemic priority when their children cannot physically attend the school in question and parents are scrambling to help students with distance learning.

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It’s not a done deal by any stretch, however. The school board will have to vote on any recommended name changes, likely in late January or early February. But in the meantime, each school on the list is expected to come up with alternative names by Dec. 18.

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The principal of Commodore Sloat, Fowzigiah Abdolcader, notified parents Wednesday of the need to come up with a new name, because John D. Sloat was a colonizer who “claimed/stole” California from Mexico, according to the committee.

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The panel includes 12 community members appointed by the superintendent and approved by the school board, as well as district staff members and board President Mark Sanchez. {snip}

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In a September meeting, panelist Mariposa Villaluna urged the committee to include Thomas Edison Elementary School on the list to change, saying he euthanized animals, including Topsy the elephant, according to a video of the meeting.

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The committee, however, said that didn’t meet the criteria.

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El Dorado Elementary came up next for discussion, with board members questioning whether the criteria should apply to a mythological place associated with settlers or colonists.

“The concept of El Dorado, especially in California, had a lot to do with the search of gold, and for the indigenous people that meant the death of them,” said Mary Travis Allen during a September panel meeting. “I don’t think the concept of greed and lust for gold is a concept we want our children to be given.”

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El Dorado was added to the list for renaming.

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That work includes a recommendation to change the name of Dianne Feinstein Elementary, a name given by the Board of Education in 2006 when the new school opened.

The school made the list because, as mayor in 1986, Feinstein reportedly replaced a vandalized Confederate flag, one of several historic flags flying in front of City Hall at the time.

Abraham Lincoln High is also on the list, based on the former president’s treatment of American Indian and native peoples.

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