Schools
Officials May Rename Junipero Serra Elementary School: Report
Two members of the South San Francisco Unified School District are proposing the change, saying Serra doesn't deserve to be honored.
SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — Two members of the South San Francisco Unified School District are proposing changing the name of Junipero Serra Elementary School, saying the district should no longer honor the Catholic missionary who, according to some scholars, enslaved Native Americans and decimated the population of the California Indians.
Ahead of a Thursday board meeting, Trustee John Baker and Board Vice President Eddie Flores both planned to suggest renaming the school, the San Mateo Daily Journal reported.
“Junipero Serra is not the hero people thought when landmark statues were erected and schools were named,” Flores told the Daily Journal.
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The possible name change comes during a broader reckoning over how the United States should honor or memorialize historical figures accused of atrocities.
In San Francisco, a statue of Serra in Golden Gate Park was toppled by protesters over the weekend, and similar statues in Carmel and San Luis Obispo have been taken down as a precaution.
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