In San Francisco, Virus is Contained but Schools Are Still Closed

[David Lockmiller]

The August 12, 2020 meeting of the Renaming Panel was both very informative and very uninformative.

According to the minutes of the previous meeting, the July 29, Meeting Agenda item #5 – the “Selection of school Names to be considered for renaming” – “was tabled due to time restrictions.” There was no public discussion at the July 29, 2020 Zoom public meeting of placing the name of Abraham Lincoln, or any other name, on the “Yes” list.

The following are meeting notes that I made regarding this key August 12, 2020 public Zoom meeting of the Renaming panel.

August 12, 2020 meeting notes:

@ 37:00 mark and forward, discussion about criteria basics for name change and possibly having historians coming in before panel to discuss various names. The panel’s facilitator informed the panel member that there would be no appropriation for historians.

@39:50 “judge and jury” discussion

@42:50 committee member says that the members have not been receiving emails from the public.

@54:00 beginning discussion of Abraham Lincoln

@55:08 a big yes and no discussion and a laugh from the facilitator



Public comment at October 7, 2020 meeting @ 9:10 from Father John Chesterman, class of 1949 at Abraham Lincoln High School, asking why the name is being changed.

1. Next Steps and Future Meetings
• Committee agreed by consensus to extend deadline for schools to submit alternative names from 11/15 to 12/18
• Panel will not meet in December as previously scheduled, but will now reconvene as a full group on January 6, 2020



P.S. Yesterday, I wrote the following email to the address provided for the public by the Renaming Committee

Subject: Renaming of Abraham Lincoln High School

Hi, to whom it may concern,

I am interested in accessing the workpapers of the San Francisco Board of Education – Renaming of Schools Committee for the renaming of Abraham Lincoln High School.

How do I do this online?

Yours truly,
David Lockmiller