San Francisco Board Votes to Remove Lincoln, Washington from School Names

The San Francisco school board has voted to remove names of dozens of schools that some people have deemed to be offensive.

The schools set to be renamed include Lowell High, Lincoln High, Feinstein Elementary, John Muir Elementary, Washington High, and Roosevelt Middle, NBC Bay Area reported.

Feinstein Elementary is named after Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), who is among the longest-serving senators in Congress’s upper chamber.

“It’s a message to our families, our students, and our community,” said board member Mark Sanchez, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. “It’s not just symbolic. It’s a moral message.”

NBC Bay Area reported that Lincoln’s name was slated for removal from one of the city’s high schools because of how he reportedly treated Native Americans.

Some residents voiced opposition to the renaming.

“I must admit there are reasons to support this resolution, but I can’t,” local resident Jean Barish told the Chronicle. “These are not decisions that should be made in haste.”

London Breed, the city’s black mayor, had previously voiced opposition to renaming the schools, saying the school board’s first priorities should be reopening schools and handling the coronavirus pandemic.

Renaming the schools could cost the city as much as $1 million.