If Deemed Offensive, Some Prince George's Schools May Be Renamed

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — A new commission opened discussions of the "appropriateness" of some county school names. Prince George's County Public Schools announced the creation of the School Renaming Commission on Thursday, the same day the task force had its first meeting.

The commission does not yet have a list of schools or criteria that it is considering, school board spokesperson Gabrielle Brown said. She added that their first meeting was private and noted that PGCPS will share more information as it becomes available.

"In light of national unrest over racial inequities, PGCPS has taken a renewed interest in reviewing the symbols and structures that do not reflect the school system’s commitment to diversity, inclusion and democracy," the school system said in a press release.

The commission's first meeting came four days after police shot Jacob Blake in Wisconsin as he walked back to his car. Police shot the Black man while responding to a domestic incident, but it is not yet clear what that situation was.

Though Blake survived, his lawyer says he is paralyzed from the waist down "at this moment." The attorney added that it will "take a miracle" for Blake to walk again.

The shooting of Blake reinvigorated protests around the country calling for social justice. Some professional sports teams have boycotted recent games and practices to "[condemn] bigotry, racial injustice and the unwarranted use of violence by police against people of color."

Protests further impacted sports when the local NFL club changed its name last month. The organization will go by the "Washington Football Team" while it searches for a permanent name. The name swap followed years of backlash from Native Americans who called the former mascot a racial slur.

Now, the School Renaming Commission will review PGCPS buildings to determine whether they cause similar offense.

The group is scheduled to send its final report school system CEO Monica Goldson by Oct. 30. The proposal will also include a list of new name recommendations.

After reviewing the findings, Goldson will pitch name changes to the board of education for consideration.

The eight- member panel has not yet announced when it will meet next. All of their conferences are likely to remain closed to the public, Brown said.

These folks are the appointees to the commission:

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