DETROIT (AP) - The Detroit Board of Education has adopted a policy that would allow it to rename schools that are named after living people, and one member suggested the first change should go to a school named after former Republican presidential hopeful Ben Carson.
Under the new policy, the board can rename a school if the education community believes the existing name no longer represents the area’s culture or population. Future structures can only be named after people who have died.
No action was taken to change any names at Tuesday’s meeting, but board member LeMar Lemmons told The Detroit News before the meeting that the board should consider renaming Dr. Benjamin Carson High School of Science and Medicine because it was chosen by Detroit’s former emergency financial manager, Robert Bobb, not the elected board.
“From my perspective, everything the EFM did needs to be further revisited,” Lemmons said.
Lemmons said he also takes issue with Carson’s conservative politics.
“When you align yourself with Trump, that is a direct affront to the city of Detroit and the students of Detroit,” he said.
Carson, a pediatric neurosurgeon who is now secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, was born in Detroit.
The school’s website says “the school aims to honor the contributions Dr. Carson has made not only to the global medical community but also as a role model for Detroit students with aspirations and interests in science and medical fields.”
The school was named after Carson in 2011, before he became HUD secretary.
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Information from: The Detroit News, http://detnews.com/
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