Palo Alto: Two schools named after eugenics advocates to get new names – The Mercury News

Two Palo Alto middle schools named after leading advocates of eugenics will be renamed by the 2018-19 school year, school board members unanimously decidedFriday.

Trustees voted 5-0 to rename Jordan Middle School, which is named after David Starr Jordan, and Terman Middle School, which is named after Lewis Terman.

Trustees asked school district officials to return this spring with a recommendation on the process of renaming the schools.

The board initially considered a recommendation to form an advisory committee that will suggest three new names by Jan. 1. Trustees ultimately decided it was best to have school staff determine if such a timeline is feasible before proceeding.

Board members agreed, however, that the districts schools must incorporate a unit about California and Palo Altos role in the history and impact of the eugenics movement into the history curriculum of secondary schools by next school year.

The board also decided that the cost of renaming the two schools, estimated to be up to $60,000, will be paid out of bond funds whenever possible. Funding for curriculum cannot be paid with bond money.

The decision culminates a year-long debate in which proponents of the name changes classified the eugenics movement and its advocates as racist and out of line with the districts values.

The board was acting on the recommendation of a committee established eight months ago to study the issue.

Terman, a former Stanford psychologist, and Jordan,an accomplished scientist and Stanford first president, were among a group that believed the human race could be improved through selective reproduction including forced sterilization.

The movement began when a seventh-grade student at Jordan Middle School wrote a book report on Jordan and shared what he had learned about the schools namesake.

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Palo Alto: Two schools named after eugenics advocates to get new names - The Mercury News