District Policy 9300: Naming Facilities

The board considers naming facilities to be a significant endeavor as the name of a facility can reflect upon the students, staff, school system, and community.

The superintendent shall involve the staff and students assigned to the facility and the students' parents in the process of identifying possible names for a new school facility or facility being renamed. The superintendent shall consider the following criteria as well as other factors the superintendent determines to be relevant in identifying potential names for the facility.

  1. The name should not be so similar to the names of existing facilities as to cause confusion.
  2. Schools usually will be named after townships, regions, community characteristics, geographic location or similar site-specific identifiers, such as roads, streets, natural or historical features.
  3. The name should include a designation of the type of school, such as elementary, middle or high, or a brief description of a specialized kind of school.
  4. Schools may be named for individuals upon group nomination. Name in honor or memory of an individual who has helped students in this school system succeed through educational leadership may be considered. Though the name of an educational leader of prominence and reputation beyond the school system may also be considered, priority will be given to the names of educational leaders who have directly or indirectly helped students in this school system to succeed.
    1. Nominated persons must be recommended and sponsored through a sizeable or recognizable group nomination (e.g., faculty, students, PTA, advisory council). Individual nominations are not permitted. No entire facility shall be named for any individual until such time as that individual has been deceased for a period of no less than five (5) years.
  5. Individual buildings, rooms or areas within buildings, or other structures on school campuses may be named in memory or honor of persons who have rendered extraordinary service to the school system, community, or nation.
  6. Notwithstanding the above provisions, individual buildings, rooms or areas within buildings, or other structures on school campuses named prior to adoption of this policy may continue to bear names which do not conform to the adopted standard.

Changing Facility Names

When the use of a school or other facility changes, the Board of Education, upon the recommendation of the superintendent and/or school administration, may change the name of the building. The process to select a new name should be consistent with the procedures followed in naming a new school or facility. Notwithstanding the above provision, existing schools with a complete grade-level organizational change or schools formed by the merger of two or more previously existing schools, may continue to bear names which do not conform to the adopted standards.

The superintendent shall establish regulations for developing a list of recommended names for the board to consider. The process should be sensitive to the historical and cultural context of the building and may include, to the extent feasible, input from the actual or proposed school community.

The superintendent shall submit the recommended name or a limited list of recommended names to the board for approval.

Legal References: G.S. 115C-36, -47

Cross References:

Adopted: August 27, 2020

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