School board members voted unanimously on Tuesday to rename a year-old San Fernando Valley elementary school after Michelle Obama.
The Los Angeles Unified board approved the plan to rename Valley Region Elementary School No. 13 in honor of the first lady and her “Let’s Move!” campaign, CBS Los Angeles reported. The $23 million elementary opened last August to relieve overcrowding at nearby schools.
“This name was selected by the school-site council because Michelle Obama supports active living and eating healthy, and the school models itself on that,” said LAUSD board member Nury Martinez, the Pasadena Star-News reported.
West Valley board member Tamar Galatzan said that while she admires Mrs. Obama, district policy rules say that schools should be named only for someone who has died, although that policy has been broken several times in recent years, the Pasadena Star-News reported.
“We do have rules about naming schools,” she said. “Over the summer I will be looking at that policy.”
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.