SF Schools Drop 'Chief' From Job Titles Over Native American Concerns

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Unified School District is ditching the word "chief" from its job titles due to concerns from Native Americans, according to a report.

The school district, which serves about 51,000 students from prekindergarten through 12th grade, has at least 13 division chiefs, according to its website. Among the titles: chief technology officer, chief of staff, chief general counsel and chief financial officer.

But the district told the San Francisco Chronicle that's about to change.

“While there are many opinions on the matter, our leadership team agreed that, given that Native American members of our community have expressed concerns over the use of the title, we are no longer going to use it,” Gentle Blythe, spokesperson for the district, told the newspaper in an email.

Blythe added: “With nearly 10,000 employees, SFUSD is one of the largest employers in San Francisco and in addition to site leaders, we need central leaders who serve all of our 119 schools,” it said.

The drop of the use of "chief" will not result in any demotion, Blythe noted. A replacement term hasn't been chosen.

In 2017,the Toronto school board in Canada, similarly removed "chief" from all job titles out of respect for Indigenous communities.

The term "chief" has been used to designate a person or group's status or leadership. The word originates from Europe, coming from the French word "chef," which stemmed from the Latin word "caput." Both refer to the leader of a group, and colonists used the anglicized form "chief" to refer to leaders of Indigenous nations.

"While different Indigenous nations have their own terms for chief, the English version of the word is still used widely to describe leaders tasked with promoting cultural and political autonomy," according to The Canadian Encyclopedia.

The Toronto school board at the time said the move was proactive.

"It may not have originated as an Indigenous word, but the fact is that it is used as a slur in some cases, or in a negative way to describe Indigenous people," he said told The Canadian Press. "With that in mind, as it has become a slur in some cases, that's the decision the administration has made to be proactive on that."