NOLA-PS’ Facility Renaming Committee Will Host Virtual Public Meeting to Announce Its School Name Recommendations

WHAT:

NOLA Public Schools (NOLA-PS)' Facility Renaming Committee will meet virtually to deliberate and take a final vote on the school name recommendations it will send to Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. for his review and approval.

Public comments will be limited to 1 minute per person to maximize public input. Any comment longer than 1 minute should be submitted via email to community@nolapublicschools.com. Public comment can be accessed by using the raised hand feature in the zoom meeting.

WHEN:

Tuesday, May 25 @ 4:00PM CDT

WHERE:

Renaming Initiative Public Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/94266930005

Or One tap mobile:

US: +13126266799,,94266930005# or +16465588656,,94266930005#

Or Telephone:

Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):

US: +1 312 626 6799 or +1 646 558 8656 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 346 248 7799 or

+1 669 900 9128 or +1 253 215 8782

Webinar ID: 942 6693 0005

International numbers available: https://zoom.us/u/azg3kLjFJ

To view the meeting's agenda, please visit: https://go.boarddocs.com/la/nops/Board.nsf/Public

WHY:

NOLA-PS is committed to renaming school facilities that have been identified as honoring figures from our painful past and is looking to move forward with the next step in the renaming initiative process.

After the Committee's vote on its renaming suggestions, Superintendent Lewis will review the list of names and make his recommendations to the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) for their consideration and final vote of approval over the summer.

Nearly a year ago, NOLA-PS outlined a plan to rename school facilities in response to recent public requests and in accordance with policy approved by the OPSB. The board believes all schools should be welcoming, inclusive, and inspiring places for all students. Our goal is to ensure the names of these physical school facilities and the people that we honor reflect the values of the school district.

As their policy states, the OPSB is fundamentally opposed to retaining names of school facilities named for persons who were slave owners, confederate officials, or segregation supporters.

The OPSB shall have sole authority to name or rename any school facility (i.e., school campuses, individual buildings, athletic fields, stadiums, gymnasiums, libraries, fields, tracks, and multipurpose rooms) private drive, or street it owns. Public input has been a vital part of this process. The full Naming of Facilities policy can be found here.

It's important to note NOLA-PS has the authority to change the outward facing name on any of its buildings. However, it cannot change the program name designated by a Charter Management Organization (CMO). CMOs are autonomous and are governed by their own boards and leadership. Therefore, for example, the OPSB could change a school building's physical name to read Nelson Mandela School. But, if the CMO chooses to keep its program name, the school's official name would be titled as follows: "McDonogh 7 Charter School at the Nelson Mandela building." The renaming process is being guided by a Renaming Committee. In accordance with OPSB policy, this committee consists of a school board member appointed by the OPSB president; a representative of the NOLA-PS administration; and community members approved by the superintendent.

For more details about the renaming initiative, visit: https://nolapublicschools.com/renaming

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About NOLA Public Schools: NOLA Public Schools is the public school district for Orleans Parish. It includes the district's administration and elected school board, known as the Orleans Parish School Board. NOLA Public Schools currently oversees 76 public schools and is led by Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr.

For more information, visit www.nolapublicschools.com. For updates, follow NOLA Public Schools on Facebook @NOLAPublicSchools, Instagram @nolaps and Twitter @NOLAPSchools.