In the US there are well over 130,000 schools nationwide. Nearly 100,000 are public schools while private schools and postsecondary institutions only make up the rest.

While schooling is a big part of a child’s life, so is the name of the school. But in a time of people becoming offended by what seems like everything, it’s hard not to question if school’s opting for a name change are doing it for the right reasons and doing research or just doing so because they believe it is politically correct.

Names like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and even Dianne Feinstein are school names that can be considered unquestioned. However, other names unfortunately may lead to other connotations.

The main reason schools are pushing for new names is because of links to slavery, Confederate figures, or other unsavory historical ties. In the US there are around 200 schools that have these ties to them, spread across 18 states with a hefty amount located in just seven of the 18.

States like California, Virginia, West Virginia, and Florida have all taken the forward step in changing school names, with over 40 plus schools gathering votes from the community to change them. In Virginia alone, there are around a dozen schools still named after Confederate figures like Stonewall Jackson, but many schools have stated that name changes are under consideration.

In a letter written by Governor Northam of Virginia on July 8^th, 2020 he states why name changes of school are allowed:

“When our public schools are named after individuals who advanced slavery and systemic racism, and we allow those names to remain on school property, we tacitly endorse their values as our own.”

However, in San Francisco California, a major push has occurred as over 44 schools have removed names as a direct result of the San Francisco School Board’s decisions. Schools in the district will be stripped of names including Presidents George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson. These names were deemed unworthy due to a connection to slavery.

But to the contrary, people seem to question whether or not the school board is doing research into their decisions. Critics of this decision say that they did not receive enough input from historians and lack knowledge about the current school names. Even the San Francisco Chronicle got involved saying;

“In one instance, the committee didn’t know whether Roosevelt Middle School was named after Theodore or Franklin Delano.”

Some believe that the city’s school board has bitten off more than they can chew, as the city’s concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, rampant drug overdoses, and an ongoing homelessness epidemic are still at full force. However, the board says it still believes they can handle multiple issues, including erasing the history and background from the halls of each school.

Overall there are around 200 schools nationwide that brandish the names of potentially racist ideologues. As the sun sets each day, more and more of the 200 consider name changes  if the names are deemed to have a racist connection.

It’s hard not to question if these school’s opting for a name change are doing it for the right reasons and doing research or just doing so because they believe that the names are perceived as politically incorrect.