School Property Can Now Be Named For Waterford's Leading Lights

It's taken years of lobbying but, last night, Waterford's Board of Education finally voted to change its longstanding policy of not naming school property after local people of note.

There's no prize for guessing which name springs to mind first but this policy wasn't written with just one name in mind. Even though 900 people have signed a petition asking that some part of the High School's athletic department be named after the school's longtime and pioneering athletic director Francis X. Sweeney, this opportunity and the policy now in place applies to all comers.  

Under the new policy, school names will remain the same but school buildings, components of buildings—libraries, media centers, and gymnasiums, and school grounds, for instance—can now be named in honor of people who meet the criteria set by the board last night.

To be considered, a person must have attained local prominence; be an important name in education, science, art, music, government, political science, military achievement, or sports; be a former employee of Waterford Public Schools who served for more than 10 years (and who has been off the job for at least two years) and who made major contributions to the school district above and beyond his or her professional obligations.  

Any names put forward to the board for consideration must be accompanied by a petition signed by at least 100 voters registered in the town of Waterford. At that point, the application will be considered by a committee comprised of the Chair of the Board of Education and the Superintendent of Schools (both in an ex officio capacity); two members of the Board of Education, one administrator, one teacher, one parent of a student currently enrolled in the Waterford school system; two residents of the community, and any other individual that the Chairperson deems appropriate based on special expertise. 

A nominee must pass a background check conducted by the Waterford Police Department. The Board of Education also requires documented evidence of the individual's outstanding achievement, a resume of the person's public service, and at least 10 letters of recommendation.

It's not quite as arduous as canonization but the Board of Education intentionally set the bar high in anticipation of receiving many requests now the opportunity to honor Waterford school district's leading lights exists. Under the new policy, the Board of Education will have sole responsibility for making the final decision, which must be approved with a majority vote.

"It is not the intent of this policy to encourage the naming of a component of a school building," the policy notes. "The Board of Education reserves the right, however, to determine the need and appropriateness for naming or renaming any component (facility) of a school building."

Once christened, to rescind a name or rename a component of a school building will require a two-thirds vote by the entire Board of Education.