Board of Education FROM

BOARD OF EDUCATION
Attachment:
PALO ALTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Date:
TO:
Board of Education
FROM:
Glenn “Max” McGee, Ph.D., Superintendent
SUBJECT:
Process for Renaming Facilities
Discussion
9
01.12.16
STRATEGIC PLAN INITIATIVE
Governance and Communication
RECOMMENDATION
The Board of Education will hear a presentation requesting that the Board appoint an advisory
committee as described in BP 7310 to consider the renaming of Jordan Middle School. The Board
will discuss the process for naming facilities and return this item for action at its January 26 meeting.
BACKGROUND
On November 13 Mr. Lars Johnsson sent an email requesting that the Board place an item to
consider renaming Jordan School on the agenda of a regular Board meeting. In accordance with
BB 9322, Mr. Johnsson provided the necessary “supporting documents and information,” and in
the following agenda setting meeting, the Board President, Vice-President, and Superintendent
agreed that the item should be placed on the agenda for discussion of the renaming process.
While the Board ultimately approves the name of a district facility, BP 7310 Naming of Facility
(attachment A) describes a process that the Superintendent recommends using for consideration
of renaming Jordan and perhaps other schools who were named after individuals that were
associated with eugenics (attachment C). The relevant wording from the policy is:
“The Board of Education may name district schools and other district-owned or leased buildings,
grounds, and facilities in recognition of:
1. Individuals, living or deceased, and entities that have made outstanding contributions,
including financial contributions, to the school community
2. Individuals, living or deceased, who have made contributions of statewide, national, or
worldwide significance
3. The geographic area in which the school or building is located
The Board encourages community participation in the process of selecting names. A citizen
advisory committee may be appointed to review name suggestions and submit recommendations
for the Board's consideration. . .
Before adopting any proposed name, the Board shall hold a public hearing at which members of
the public will be given an opportunity to provide input.”
At the meeting Mr. Johnsson will make a 10 to 15 minute presentation (attachment D) following
which the Board will discuss the process for naming facilities and determine whether to have an
action item at a future meeting that would establish a citizen advisory committee to consider
renaming Jordan or other facilities. The Board will also discuss the pros and cons of whether a
future committee would be a Board committee or Superintendent’s Advisory Committee as
described in BP and AR 1220. (attachment B).
In addition to Mr. Johnsson’s presentation, I asked the Social Justice Pathway teachers at Paly to
see if there students were interested in researching school names and providing information and
their thinking on the consideration for renaming the school. While they have only had minimal
preparation time, if they are ready to provide the Board with this information, we will hear from
them.
In addition, we expect that several community members will want to make public comments. Given
that we have allotted sixty minutes for this item and one Board member needs to leave at
approximately 9:30 pm to catch a flight to the East Coast we may want to assure that we have time
for Board discussion prior to hearing all of the comments. That said, everyone who wants to make
a comment will have the opportunity at the meeting in accordance with our established practices.
The following supporting documents are enclosed:
Attachment A BP 7310
Attachment B BP and AR 1220
Attachment C Ms. Antik’s background information on school names
Attachment D Mr. Johnsson’s presentation
Attachment E Jordan Renaming Petition
Attachment F CAC and PASS signed letters of endorsement
Attachment G Emails and letters of support
Facilities
BP 7310
NAMING OF FACILITY
The Board of Education may name district schools and other district-owned or leased
buildings, grounds, and facilities in recognition of:
1.
Individuals, living or deceased, and entities that have made outstanding
contributions, including financial contributions, to the school community
2.
Individuals, living or deceased, who have made contributions of statewide,
national, or worldwide significance
3.
The geographic area in which the school or building is located
The Board encourages community participation in the process of selecting names. A
citizen advisory committee may be appointed to review name suggestions and submit
recommendations for the Board's consideration.
(cf. 1220 - Citizen Advisory Committees)
Any name adopted for any new school shall not be so similar to the name of any existing
district school as to result in confusion to members of the community.
Before adopting any proposed name, the Board shall hold a public hearing at which
members of the public will be given an opportunity to provide input.
(cf. 9320 - Meetings and Notices)
When naming or renaming a district school, building, or facility, the Board may specify
the duration for which the name shall be in effect.
Memorials
Upon request, the Board shall consider planting commemorative trees, erecting
monuments, or dedicating buildings, parts of buildings, athletic fields, gardens, or other
district facilities, in memory of deceased students, staff members, community members,
and benefactors of the district.
1
BP 7310
NAMING OF FACILITY (continued)
Legal Reference:
EDUCATION CODE
35160 Authority of governing boards
Policy
adopted: 01.12.10 and 01.31.12
PALO ALTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Palo Alto, California
2
BOARD POLICY
Community Relations
BP 1220
CITIZEN ADVISORY COMMITTEES
The Board of Education recognizes that citizen advisory committees enable the Board to
better understand the interests and concerns of the community.
The Board shall establish citizen advisory committees when required by law, to
strengthen the effectiveness of district and school operations, or to enhance student
learning. The purpose of any such committees shall be clearly defined and aligned to the
district's vision, mission, and goals. The Board may dissolve any advisory committee not
required by law when the committee has fulfilled its duties or at any time the Board
deems it necessary.
(cf. 0000 - Vision)
(cf. 0200 - Goals for the School District)
(cf. 0420 - School Plans/Site Councils)
(cf. 0420.1 - School-Based Program Coordination)
(cf. 0430 - Comprehensive Local Plan for Special Education)
(cf. 2230 - Representative and Deliberative Groups)
(cf. 3280 - Sale, Lease, Rental of District-Owned Real Property)
(cf. 5030 - Student Wellness)
(cf. 6020 - Parent Involvement)
(cf. 6174 - Education for English Language Learners)
(cf. 6175 - Migrant Education Program)
(cf. 6178 - Career Technical Education)
(cf. 9130 - Board Committees)
The Superintendent or designee may establish advisory committees which shall report to
him/her in accordance with law, Board policy, and administrative regulation.
Citizen advisory committees shall serve in an advisory capacity; they may make
recommendations, but their actions shall not be binding on the Board or Superintendent.
The membership of citizen advisory committees should reflect the diversity of the
community and represent a diversity of viewpoints.
The Superintendent or designee shall provide training and information, as necessary, to
enable committee members to understand the goals of the committee and to fulfill their
role as committee members.
Within budget allocations, the Superintendent or designee may approve requests for
committee travel and may reimburse committee members for expenses at the same rates
and under the same conditions as those provided for district employees.
(cf. 3350 - Travel Expenses)
Legal reference next page
1
CITIZEN ADVISORY COMMITTEES
BP 1220
Legal Reference:
EDUCATION CODE
8070 Career technical education advisory committee
11503 Parent involvement program
15278-15282 Citizens' oversight committee
15359.3 School facilities improvement districts
17387-17391 Advisory committees for use of excess school facilities
35147 School site councils and advisory committees
41505-41508 Pupil Retention Block Grant
41570-41573 School and Library Improvement Block Grant
44032 Travel expense payment
52176 Advisory committees, limited-English proficient students program
52852 Site council, school-based program coordination
54425 Advisory committees, compensatory education
54444.1-54444.2 Parent advisory councils, services to migrant children
56190-56194 Community advisory committee, special education
62002.5 Continuing parent advisory committees
REPEALED EDUCATION CODE FOR CATEGORICAL PROGRAMS
52012 School site council
GOVERNMENT CODE
810.2 Tort claims act, definition employee
810.4 Tort claims act, definition employment
815.2 Injuries by employees within scope of employment
820.9 Members of local public boards not vicariously liable
6250-6270 California Public Records Act
54950-54963 Brown Act
UNITED STATES CODE, TITLE 42
1751 Note Local wellness policy
COURT DECISIONS
Frazer v. Dixon Unified School District, (1993) 18 Cal.App.4th 781
Management Resources:
CSBA PUBLICATIONS
Maximizing School Board Leadership: Community Leadership, 1996
WEB SITES
CSBA: http://www.csba.org
California Department of Education: http://www.cde.ca.gov
Policy
adopted: 01.12.10 and 11.18.14
PALO ALTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Palo Alto, California
2
Community Relations
AR 1220
CITIZEN ADVISORY COMMITTEES
Committee Charge
When committees are appointed, committee members shall receive information
including, but not limited to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
The committee members' names
The procedure to be used in the selection of the committee chairperson and other
committee officers
The name(s) and contact information of staff member(s) assigned to support the
work of the committee
The goals and specific charge(s) of the committee, including its topic(s) for study
The specific period of time that the committee is expected to serve
Legal requirements regarding meeting conduct and public notifications
Resources available to help the committee perform its tasks
Timelines for progress reports and/or final report
Relevant Board policies and administrative regulations
Members of advisory committees are not vicariously liable for injuries caused by the act
or omission of the district or a committee and are not liable for injuries caused by an act
or omission of a committee member acting within the scope of his/her role as a member
of the committee. However, a member may be liable for injury caused by his/her own
wrongful conduct. (Government Code 815.2, 820.9)
(cf. 3530 - Risk Management/Insurance)
Committees Subject to Brown Act Requirements
The following committees shall comply with Brown Act requirements pertaining to open
meetings, notices, and public participation, pursuant to Government Code 54950-54963:
1.
Advisory committees established pursuant to Education Code 56190-56194
related to special education
(cf. 0430 - Comprehensive Local Plan for Special Education)
2.
Other committees created by formal Board of Education action
(cf. 9130 - Board Committees)
(cf. 9320 - Meetings and Notices)
(cf. 9321 - Closed Session Purposes and Agendas)
(cf. 9321.1 - Closed Session Actions and Reports)
(cf. 9323 - Meeting Conduct)
1
AR 1220
CITIZEN ADVISORY COMMITTEES (continued)
Committees Not Subject to Brown Act Requirements
The following committees are exempt from the Brown Act but must conform with
procedural meeting requirements established in Education Code 35147:
1.
School site councils established pursuant to Education Code 41507, 41572, or
52852 related to student retention, school or library improvement, or school-based
program coordination
(cf. 0420 - School Plans/Site Councils)
(cf. 0420.1 - School-Based Program Coordination)
2.
District or school advisory committees established pursuant to Education Code
52176 related to programs for students of limited English proficiency
(cf. 6174 - Education for English Language Learners)
3.
School advisory committees established pursuant to Education Code 54425(b)
related to compensatory education
(cf. 6171 - Title I Programs)
4.
Any district advisory committee established pursuant to Education Code 54444.2
related to migrant education programs
(cf. 6175 - Migrant Education Program)
5.
6.
School site councils established pursuant to Education Code 62002.5 related to
economic impact aid and bilingual education
School committees established pursuant to Education Code 11503 related to
parent involvement
(cf. 6020 - Parent Involvement)
Meetings of the above councils or committees shall be open to the public. Any member
of the public shall have the opportunity to address the council or committee during the
meeting on any item within its jurisdiction. Notice of the meeting shall be posted at the
school site or other appropriate accessible location at least 72 hours before the meeting,
specifying the date, time, and location of the meeting and containing an agenda that
describes each item of business to be discussed or acted upon. (Education Code 35147)
2
AR 1220
CITIZEN ADVISORY COMMITTEES (continued)
The above councils or committees shall not take action on any item not listed on the
agenda unless all members present unanimously find that there is a need to take
immediate action and that this need came to the council's or committee's attention after
the agenda was posted. In addition to addressing items on the agenda, members of the
council, committee, or public may ask questions or make brief statements that do not
have a significant effect on district students or employees or that can be resolved solely
by providing information. (Education Code 35147)
Councils or committees violating the above procedural requirements must, at the demand
of any person, reconsider the item at the next meeting, first allowing for public input on
the item. (Education Code 35147)
Any materials provided to a school site council shall be made available to any member of
the public upon request pursuant to the California Public Records Act. (Education Code
35147; Government Code 6250-6270)
(cf. 1340 - Access to District Records)
Committees created by the Superintendent or designee to advise the administration and
which do not report to the Board are not subject to the requirements of the Brown Act or
Education Code 35147.
(cf. 2230 - Representative and Deliberative Groups)
Regulation
Staff approved: 08.31.10 and 07.18.11
PALO ALTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Palo Alto, California
3
To:
The Members of the Palo Alto Unified School District’s Board of Education
Melissa Baten Caswell,
Barbara Klausner,
Barbara Mitchell,
Dana Tom,
Camille Townsend, and
Kevin Skelly, Superintendent
From: Suz Antink, Paly Math Teacher, BTSA Coach and Fielding University Doctoral Student
RE:
The Naming of Schools
Date: September 3, 2008
Cc:
Dr. Kitty Kelly Epstein, Fielding University
Dear Colleagues,
As one of the older teachers working in our district, my teacher preparation program (over thirty
years ago) neglected to fill me in on the history of our country’s educational plan. Since
beginning a doctoral program, that oversight has been corrected, especially from the mid-1800s
to the present day. As I have learned more and more about our country’s dreams and plans to
educate its populace, some of our schools’ names honor those early designers, many of them by
Stanford educational leaders. Unfortunately, because people are people and the times were what
they were, some of those individuals have controversial reputations in educational history.
Society has changed its opinion about some of the philosophies held by these educational leaders
and I would like us, as a district, to consider our current philosophy in conjunction with the
naming of our schools. After all, over the last few years our district has proudly embraced the
notion of educating all students and to close the so-called achievement gap. In the twenty-five
years that I’ve been at Paly, we have removed obstacles, increased our support, opened vistas,
and we continue to do our best to give our students freedom to build the life of their dreams.
Now that I’m confronted with the reputations of some of these educational leaders, I am
concerned that as some students find out more about the history of education they may be
conflicted about our school district’s intent to educate all. I do believe that the names of our
schools should reflect our ideals and should encourage and support student aspirations. It is
difficult to imagine how a student may feel attending a middle school that is named for a person
who believed that, generally, different races tended to have different levels of intelligence. The
name of a school is as basic as a mission statement or vision. So, I hope that you might consider
my request to change the names of at least two of our schools, and possibly a third.
In your consideration, I hope you will recognize that these individuals did their work with the
best of intentions. They were very serious about the needs of our nation and worked hard to
meet those needs. Two of the leaders in our nation’s goal to educate its populace were Lewis M.
Terman and Ellwood P. Cubberley. Their assumptions, perhaps based on the philosophies of the
times, are troubling in this time frame.
Terman was a pioneer in cognitive psychology and his reputation is linked with the StanfordBinet IQ test. Binet designed and intended to use his test individually to help diagnose learning
difficulties or to label the intelligence of suspected learning disabled children. Terman
redesigned the test to be given in large groups for the ultimate use of sorting students for tracked
education. (His test is still used, along with other measures, but in an individual setting once
again as a diagnosing tool.) These tests are considered biased today but seemed to be “proof”
that racial discrimination of educational opportunities was appropriate in his time. His
“findings” fueled segregation and even eugenics. “Children of this group should be segregated
into separate classes… They cannot master abstractions but they can often be made into efficient
workers… from a eugenic point of view they constitute a grave problem because of their
unusually prolific breeding.” (Terman, The Measurement of Intelligence, 1916, Pp. 91-92) His
tracking of students placed nearly all African-American, Hispanic and Italian students in
workforce tracks whereas the Nordic Caucasians tended to be placed in college bound tracks.
Cubberley worked at Stanford with Terman and was exceedingly supportive of Terman’s ideas
about education. He considered public education as a tool with which to shape society and
society’s workers. Cubberley expected that with training appropriate to the intelligence of the
student that society would be filled with happier people, comfortable in their niches. One of his
quotes, which I’ve seen in a number of texts, is particularly supportive of a class system. “We
should give up the exceedingly democratic idea that all are equal and that our society is devoid
of classes. The employee tends to remain an employee; the wage earner tends to remain a wage
earner.” He expected a growing economic and educational chasm between the elite and working
class. He also expected some groups, generally identified by race, to comprise the illiterate and
poor class, fit only for menial labor.
The third name change consideration is David Starr Jordan. Also from Stanford University, he is
well known as an ichthyologist, an educator, a peace activist and a eugenicist. He based his
arguments against war on eugenics, citing that it removed the strongest people from the gene
pool. I’m sure that he considered it socially responsible, wanting to make society healthy and
vital, but the fallout from these ideas included forced sterilization and discrimination aimed at
people identified as defective. (At the time, some defects were considered racially based.) Since
WWII, long after his initial work, eugenics is associated with Nazi abuses and ethnic cleansing.
I recognize that changing school names is an emotional issue, but I hope that you might consider
it. In this place in time, the connections of these people’s mixed reputations with our mission
and our philosophy seems contradictory. I recognize that they were doing what they believed
was best for society at the time; their detractors, who challenged their assumptions were in the
minority of the power base at the time so that other perspectives created little competition with
their views and the execution of their ideas. Still, I believe that our current struggle, to
encourage and support students successfully reaching their ambitions is somewhat hampered by
the legacy left by their national design and its implementation.
I recognize that I ran into this conundrum as I studied structured inequality, so, in all fairness, I
researched the remainder of the schools’ names. I’ve included a listing about them, as much as I
was able to find out. I have also included some suggestions about new names, should you
consider changes.
Thank you,
Suz
Our Schools:
My heartfelt thanks to the schools that cite the person for whom they are named. Much of this
information is from school websites, Google sites, Wikipedia and personal remembrances of
local historians.
Addison Elementary School
I was unable to find solid evidence, but I believe that it was named for Joseph Addison,
an English essayist and poet. (1672-1719)
Juana Briones Elementary School
Juana Briones (1804-1889) was a businesswoman, Curandero (a healer) and Landowner.
She was an activist in that she fought to keep her land when discriminatory laws
attempted to remove lands from all Spanish landowners. She is of mixed European,
African and Native American ancestry.
Duveneck Elementary
This is unverified, but I did find some information about a very popular American figure
and portrait painter named Frank Duveneck (1848-1919). The love of his life, his wife,
Elizabeth Boott Duveneck (1846-1888) was also an American painter and died very
young. The timing is right for the naming of the school after one of them.
El Carmelo Elementary School
I know that “el carmelo” means caramel in Spanish, but I don’t know if that is connected
to name of this school. It may be named after a neighborhood.
Escondido Elementary School
Escondido means “hidden” in Spanish, such as in Hidden Valley or Hidden Heart. I
don’t know if this has a connection to the school. It may be named after a neighborhood.
Fairmeadow Elementary School
This elementary school is named after one of two Eichler Home neighborhoods built in
the 1950s. The neighborhoods have national acclaim as one of the loopiest curvilinear
neighborhoods ever designed.
Walter Hays Elementary School
Walter Hays was a Presbyterian minister who was much loved and respected in Palo Alto
although he was only here for 15 years (1905-1920). During that time he was president
of the Board of Education which opened Palo Alto High School. The school opening was
contentious and he was known for keeping the students’ needs at the center of his work
and helping people work through their differences.
Herbert C. Hoover Elementary School
Hoover Elementary is named for President Herbert Hoover (1874-1964), a mining
engineer and author. Hoover was US Secretary of Commerce under both Harding and
Coolidge and was an economic modernist. He did believe in technical solutions for
social and economic problems, which is reminiscent of the ideas of Terman, Cubberley
and Jordan.
Lucille M. Nixon Elementary School
Lucille (“Luchi”) Nixon served the PAUSD from 1948 to 1963. She was an elementary
teacher who served as a consultant for curriculum and instruction in her later years. In
1956, she gained international attention when her poetry won her an audience with
Japan’s Emperor Hirohito. When the school opened in 1970, PAUSD named the new
elementary school after her.
Ohlone Elementary School
Ohlone is named after the Ohlone people, also known as the Costanoan and Muwekma
indigenous people of Northern California who lived from the San Francisco area to
Monterey and south to the Salina Valley. They were hunters, fishermen and gatherers.
The Ohones were a large group of people (50 distinct groups), speaking a variety of
dialects of the Penutian (Utian) language. They didn’t consider themselves a nation until
the arrival of the Spaniards forced them to join forces.
Palo Verde Elementary School
As far as I can ascertain, Palo Verde means Green Tree in Spanish. It could be named
after a neighborhood.
David Starr Jordan Middle School
Jordan Middle School is named after David Starr Jordan, Ph.D., L.L.D. (1851-1931) a
leading eugenicist, ichthyologist, educator and peace activist. He was president of
Stanford University.
Lewis M. Terman Middle School
Terman is named after Lewis Madison Terman (1877-1956), a pioneer in cognitive
psychology at Stanford University. He is best known for his work with the StanfordBinet IQ Test used with soldiers and students. He was a prominent eugenicist and was a
member of the Human Betterment Foundation.
Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School
Jane Stanford (1828-1905), was married to Leland Stanford the founder of Stanford
University, ancestor to American presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt, George H. W.
Bush and George W. Bush. At her direction, Stanford began and maintained a focus on
the arts. She advocated women admissions. Her work to fire one of the Stanford
professions helped to found a professors’ union in which academic freedom was a
cornerstone. (She is also the center of one of America’s legendary mysteries having died
of unexplained strychnine poisoning in Hawaii.)
Henry M. Gunn High School
Gunn High School was named as a tribute to Henry M. Gunn (1898-1988) who was
PAUSD’s superintendent from 1950 to 1961.
Palo Alto High School
As the first high school of the town (1919), it was named after the town. The name
means Tall Tree in Spanish.
Cubberley High School or Cubberley Community Center
The high school was named after Ellwood P. Cubberley, an influential authority in the
development of institutionalized education. He viewed public education as an instrument
of social engineering and designed the schools to maintain the current social order of his
time.
Besse Bolton Child Development Center
Besse Bolton was a well known pioneer in early childhood education in Palo Alto. Her
designs of child development centers, after school child care, and her family life
education are utilized throughout the state.
School Name Suggestions:
As I consider the task of choosing inspirational people who might be chosen as worthy of the
tribute of a school’s name, I am struck by the challenges represented. When Wilbur Middle
School was reconstituted as Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School, what considerations did the
community use to guide their choice? Still and all, I admit that to have asked you to contemplate
a name change for our schools leaves me with the responsibility for making some suggestions. I
offer the following as a beginning.
Linda Darling-Hammond—is an influential educator at Stanford. She graduated Yale (1973) and
Temple University (Ed.D. in Urban Education, 1978). Her work on school restructuring, teacher
education and equity informs public policy. Her views seem congruent with our vision.
bell hook—is the pseudonym of Gloria Jean Watkins, a controversial figure to suggest. She is a
Stanford grad (English BA, 1973), University of Wisconsin-Madison (English MA, 1976) and
UC Santa Cruz (Doctorate in Literature, 1983). She has taught in at a variety of colleges,
including USC, UCSC, SF State, Yale, Oberlin and City College of NY. She is an American
author, a feminist and social activist. In her writing, she addresses race, class and gender in
education, art and history.
Henry Page—was a much loved principal of Adult Education for PAUSD. He had a genuine
concern for each student. He tried to make our schools accessible to every student so that he or
she could fulfill his or her goals. He was well known for his support of music and brought jazz
appreciation classes to the community. He led the district movement to support LGBTQ
legitimacy in the district as a workplace and an educational community.
George Polya—was born in Hungary, and a Stanford math professor from 1940 to 1953. He is
well known in math education circles as wanting to put the student inside the problem to hone
problem-solving skills well beyond mathematics. His “How to Solve It” book uses heuristics to
sort through a problem (of any type that life may pose), identify what type it may be and bring in
the problem solving skills of a variety of individuals to solve it. He was clear that math
education was about teaching thinking that could be applied to any discipline.
David Tyack—an educational historian at Stanford since 1969, he has researched urban schools,
leadership, voc ed, school economics and educational reform. He is well respected as a teacher
as well as a researcher. Additionally, he is a curriculum developer and teacher coach. He has
worked with public schools to improve and reconstitute policy because he has researched how
public education has affected diversity: race, class religion, ethnicity and gender.
I’m sure that there are a variety of people or ideas that would serve to inspire our students and
support our mission.
Thank you for your consideration.
Suz
PAUSD – stop honoring the legacy of Eugenics &
Discrimination with the name of Jordan Middle School?
Lars Johnsson, PAUSD Parent and proponent of
the renaming of David Starr Jordan Middle School
November 1, 2015
+




David Starr Jordan was a RACIST and leading advocate of EUGENICS, the
early 20 century movement in America to create a MASTER RACE through
desirable breeding, forced sterilization, deportation and immigration control,
as envisioned in his 1902 Eugenics Bible: “The Blood of the Nation: A
Study of the Decay of Races through the Survival of the Unfit”.
David Starr Jordan was convinced that intelligence is passed on through the
blood, and Dr. Jordan summarily dismissed the argument that differences in
intellectual capacity are the result of opportunity and education: “To say that
one race is superior to another is merely to confirm the common
observation of every intelligent citizen.”
David Starr Jordan does NOT represent the values of 21st Century Palo
Alto and the mission of its Unified School District where: “every student has
the opportunity and access to programs, practices, and personnel that
will empower every child to attain his or her highest intellectual,
creative, and social potential .” PAUSD Superintendent Dr. Max McGee
Please support this petition to ask the PAUSD Board of Education to
appoint a “citizen advisory committee” in accordance with Board Policy 71 to
review if David Starr Jordan is the right role model Palo Alto should
honor through the name one of one of its Middle Schools
+ David Starr Jordan: good and bad

“David Starr Jordan was the most influential of all American ichthyologists
(Ichthyology: the Study of Fish), and it has been said that all ichthyologists
today can trace their professional ancestry back to Jordan.”


David Starr Jordan was the First President of Stanford, where he “created a
complicated history”, being “applauded for his guidance and vision, vilified for
his pacifism and support of eugenics”


Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Division of Fishes
Meet President Jordan, Stanford Alumni Magazine 2010
David Starr Jordan was an early and leading advocate of Eugenics

As Chair of the Eugenics Section of the American Breeders Association, the first
formal US Eugenics organization established in1906

As incorporating member of the Human Betterment Foundation

As Advisory Council member of the Eugenics Committee of the American Eugenics
Society
+ David Starr Jordan: wrong on Eugenics

“Hitler and his henchmen victimized an entire continent and exterminated
millions in his quest for a so-called Master Race. But the concept of a white,
blond-haired, blue-eyed master Nordic race didn't originate with Hitler. The
idea was created in the United States, and cultivated in California, decades
before Hitler came to power. California eugenicists [like David Starr Jordan]
played an important, although little-known, role in the American eugenics
movement's campaign for ethnic cleansing.”


Eugencis and the Nazis and the California Connection, Edwin Black, San Francisco
Chronicle, November 9 2003
Jordan had a vision how Eugenics would stem the ‘Decay of Races’:

“One of the great books of our new century will be some day written on the
selection of men and the screening of human life through the actions of man.”

‘The Blood of the Nation: A Study of the Decay of Races through the Survival of
the Unfit’ by David Starr Jordan, 1902 – page 79
+ David Starr Jordan: wrong on Education

In the words of Dr. Jordan “To say that one race is superior to another is
merely to confirm the common observation of every intelligent citizen.”
And Dr. Jordan summarily dismissed the argument that differences in
intellectual capacity are the result of opportunity and education.


According to the American Psychological Association, a body of research
from Steele, Aronson and Spencer shows that “negative stereotypes raise
inhibiting doubts and high pressure anxieties in a test takers mind, which can
wreak havoc with test performance”


“David Starr Jordan: Prophet of Freedom”, Edward McNall Burns, Stanford
University Press 1953, Chapter 3, page 63”
“Stereotype Threat Widens Achievement Gap”, American Psychology Association
In the words of PAUSD Superintendent Dr. McGee “every student has the
opportunity and access to programs, practices, and personnel that will
empower every child to attain his or her highest intellectual, creative,
and social potential”.
+ Jordan Middle School needs a new name

Palo Alto Unified School District Board Policy 7310 outlines that the Board
of Education may name schools in recognition of:

Individuals that have made outstanding contributions to the school community or
who have made contributions of statewide, national or worldwide significance


We can find a role model that has made outstanding contributions that also
represent 21st Century Palo Alto Values and Educational Policies
Palo Alto Unified School District Board Policy 7310 encourages community
participation in the process of selecting names. A citizen advisory committee
may be appointed to review name suggestions and submit
recommendations for the Board’s consideration.

This petition requests the PAUSD Board of Education to appoint a “citizen
advisory committee” to review if David Starr Jordan is still the right role
model after whom to name one of our Middle Schools
+ PAUSD: you’re not alone

Robert E Lee Elementary in LA: July 2015


Nathan Bedford Forrest High becomes Westside High Nov 2014


LBUSD Board decided to form a committee to review “all school names”,
based on the Frederick Douglass Liberty Act that banishes confederate
names and symbols in California state buildings.
Following a petition drive that garnered more than 160,000 signatures to
change the name of a Florida school honoring a Confederate general and
first “grand wizard” of the Ku Klux Klan, Nathan Bedford Forrest.
James O. Johnson High School in Huntsville Alabama, 2013.

Renamed in honor of Alabama born astronaut, and first African American in
space Mae Carol Jemison. New Jemison High combines students from two
failing schools being closed due to falling enrollment.
+ Jordan Middle School Renaming Petition
 The
petition to rename David
Starr Jordan Middle School
was inspired by my son’s 7th
grade book project titled
“David Starr Jordan – the
ugliness behind the makeup”
 Lars
Johnsson
 Palo
Alto Resident and
PAUSD Parent of 3
 Jan
12 2016
+ Jordan Middle School Renaming Petition - Outline

Objective and background

David Starr Jordan

Eugenics, Timeline, Leadership

Racism & Education

Reasons for Renaming

Support for the petition

Frequently asked questions

Renaming precedents

Summary & Request
+ Jordan Renaming Petition – Background & Objective

David Starr Jordan was the First President of Stanford University and a renown ichthyologist,
and in 1937 the new Jordan Junior High School was named after him, 6 years after his death

David Starr Jordan was also a firm believer that only the Nordic race is capable and worthy,
which drove his early and lifelong leadership and devotion to the US Eugenics movement

PAUSD Board Policy 7310 outlines that the Board of Education may name schools at its
discretion in recognition of Individuals that have made outstanding contributions to the school
community, or who have made contributions of statewide, national or worldwide significance

In an almost entirely white Palo Alto in 1937 David Starr Jordan was considered to be such an
individual, but in 2016 his outstanding Eugenics leadership and unrepentant racism are so
offensive and contrary to the evolved values of our diverse community and the mission of the
Palo Alto Unified School District, that the supporters of this petition are calling on the Board of
Education to use its discretion and appoint a “citizen advisory committee” to review if David
Starr Jordan is still the right role model after whom to name one of our Middle Schools
+ David Starr Jordan: the good and the bad

David Starr Jordan was the First President of Stanford, where he “created a complicated history”, being
“applauded for his guidance and vision, vilified for his pacifism and support of eugenics”


David Starr Jordan was “the most influential of all American ichthyologists (Ichthyology: the Study of Fish),
and it has been said that all ichthyologists today can trace their professional ancestry back to Jordan.”


Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Division of Fishes
David Starr Jordan was a Peace Activist, serving as chief director, 1909-11, of the World Peace
foundation and dean of the American section of the World Peace Congress at The Hague, 1913.


Meet President Jordan, Stanford Alumni Magazine 2010
Jordan's pacifist convictions were in part based on the pseudo-science of eugenics. He believed that war destroyed
the best of humanity, leaving the weaker members of society to produce the next generation.
David Starr Jordan was an early, leading and life-long advocate of Eugenics

As publisher of early influential Books devoted to Eugenics, especially “The Blood of the Nation” in 1902 and “The
Human Harvest” in 1907, both studies of the decay of races through the survival of the unfit

As Chair of the Eugenics Section of the American Breeders Association, the first formal US Eugenics organization
established in1906

As incorporating member of the Human Betterment Foundation in 1928
+ Eugenics: what it was and how it evolved







1859: Darwin publishes the Origin of Species, a General Theory of Evolution by natural selection
(survival of the fittest, often referred to as Darwinism)
1883: Francis Galton, Darwin's cousin, coins the word "eugenics". His early aim was to selectively marry
off the population so that poor heredity would be eliminated
1889: Francis Galton publishes his book on “Natural Inheritance” proposing that offspring receive half
their inherited traits from each parent, laying the foundation for the claim of ‘inherited intelligence’
1902: David Starr Jordan publishes one of the first books in American devoted to Eugenics: “The Blood
of the Nation: a study of the decay of races through the survival of the unfit”. Jordan’s Eugenics aimed at
preventing dilution of the master through reproduction of inferior stock
1906: David Starr Jordan becomes Chair of the Eugenics Section of the American Breeders Association,
the first organization in the US devoted entirely to Eugenics
1907: Francis Galton is Founding president of the Eugenics Education Society, the first formal British
Eugenics organization, David Starr Jordan later joins and becomes Vice President in 1916
1907: Indiana becomes the first US state to pass a eugenics/sterilization law, driven by the late 19th
century writings of Reverend Oscar McCulloch and Indiana University President David Starr Jordan
+ Eugenics: what it was and how it devolved






1909: California becomes the third US state to pass eugenics/sterilization law, and by 1921 California
accounted or 80% of all forced sterilizations in the US
1910: The Eugenics Record Office opens in Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory as part of the private Carnegie
Institution, NY, founded by Charles Davenport and led by Harry Laughlin, it focused on the study of human
heredity and a repository for genetic data on human traits
1910: Davenport publishes his first eugenics Book, "The science of human improvement by better breeding”
1928: David Starr Jordan is a founding member of the Human Betterment Foundation (HBF) in Pasadena,
with the sole goal to investigate and promote the possibilities of race betterment by eugenic sterilization.
The work of the HBF was led by its secretary Paul Popenoe, a former Jordan student
1931: David Starr Jordan dies at his home in Palo Alto
1935: HBF board member Charles Goethe wrote to HBF founder Ezra Gosney: “You will be interested to
know that (the) work (of the Human Betterment Foundation) has played a powerful part in shaping the
opinions of the group of intellectuals who are behind Hitler in this epoch-making program. … I want you, my
dear friend, to carry this thought with you for the rest of your life, that you have really jolted into action a
great government of 60,000,000 people” (excerpt from the original letter)
+ David Starr Jordan: Eugenics Leadership & Legacy

In 1902 in the ‘Blood of the Nation’ book Jordan described his vision how “the selection of men and the
screening of human life through the actions of man” (p 79) would one day stem the ‘Decay of Races’.

In 1906 he chaired the first US Eugenics organization, a chapter of the American Breeders Association

The 1907 the first US forced sterilization law enacted in Indiana was heavily influenced by his scientific
arguments and authority as Professor of Zoology and President of the University of Indiana 1884-91

In 1928 he was a founding member of the Human Betterment Foundation HBF, which was devoted
entirely to the promotion of forced sterilization legislation and managed by a former student of his

In 1935 the HBF credits its inspirational work with the Eugenics programs instituted in Nazi Germany,
under which more than 400,000 people were forceably sterilized

In the end in the US, which did not come until 1981, over 65,000 individuals were sterilized in 33 states
under state compulsory sterilization programs

It is his early vision and undisputed leadership that has created a Eugenics Legacy that sets David Starr
Jordan apart from so many other Eugenics activist. The consequences of his actions are undeniable
+ David Starr Jordan’s everyday racism

“It is easy to recognize that the Irish, the Greeks, the South Italians and the Polish Jews contain largely
elements permanently deficient in the best traits we hope for in America, but the trait which is least
desirable of all is the one we never hear spoken of, that is, these people as a whole are temperamental.
They are controlled by emotions, animal instincts, subliminal tendencies and the like, instead of brains and
will. There is in fact no substitute for intelligence” – page 74

Even lower in scale, perhaps, were the Mexicans, “ignorant, superstitious, ill-nurtured, with little self-control
and no conception of industry or thrift, - lacking, indeed, most of our Anglo-Saxon virtues” –page 62

Jordan also disliked Chinese and Korean Asians but held the Japanese in high regards as a "branch of the
Aryan race, belonging to the Turanian and remotely allied to the tribes of the Caucasus“ – page 65

David Starr Jordan was convinced that intelligence is passed on through the blood, and Dr. Jordan
summarily dismissed the argument that differences in intellectual capacity are the result of opportunity and
education: “To say that one race is superior to another is merely to confirm the common observation of
every intelligent citizen.” – page 63

Source for all quotes: ‘David Starr Jordan: Prophet of Freedom, Chapter 3.1 Superior and Inferior Races’
by Historian and Rutgers’ History Professor Edward McNall Burns, 1953
+ The ‘Jordan name’ is sending the wrong message



In the words of David Starr Jordan “To say that one race is superior to another is merely to confirm
the common observation of every intelligent citizen.”
And the mind of David Starr Jordan summarily dismissed the argument that differences in
intellectual capacity are the result of opportunity and education
This mix of racism and disproven educational beliefs contradicts everything PAUSD is striving to stand
for as it is working to close the achievement gap and provide a welcoming, unbiased, nurturing learning
environment for all students from every background according to the:

PAUSD Vision: We support all PAUSD students as they prepare themselves to thrive as global
citizens in a rapidly changing world …

PAUSD Mission: … to deliver on our collective vision by offering a rich and challenging academic
experience to all students within a supportive community …

Words of PAUSD Superintendent Dr. McGee where “every student has the opportunity and access
to programs, practices, and personnel that will empower every child to attain his or her highest
intellectual, creative, and social potential”.
+ PAUSD – it’s time to rename Jordan Middle School

“David Starr Jordan was an accomplished biologist, pacifist, teacher, and educational institutional
leader. He is considered one of the major promoters of the eugenics movement in the United States and
applied its logic to other social policies such as education, immigration, and pacifism. Jordan was both
the product of his historical context as well as the leader of the eugenics legacy in the US. As a leader of
a wide range of prominent influential institutions from Stanford University to the American Breeder's
Association, Jordan's ideas reached extensive groups of individuals.”

Source: The Life, Works and Eugenics Outlook of David Starr Jordan

David Starr Jordan’s Eugenics leadership, Nordic racism and stifling educational views make him a highly
inappropriate role model/namesake to reflect the values and spirit of our 21st century Palo Alto community

PAUSD and the Jordan community of students, teachers and parents deserves a better role model to
inspire our students and instill in them the growth mindset that will allow them to accomplish anything
+ CAC and PASS Support the Renaming Petition
+ PTAC & Jordan PTA Support the Petition and the
Jordan Social Studies Department chimes in
PTAC Petition Support
Jordan Social Studies Dept.
Message from the Social Studies Department to the
Jordan PTA regarding the renaming petition:
Jordan PTA Petition Support
“Apparently, at Site Council there was a proposal
(from a parent?) to consider changing the name of
our school, considering David Starr Jordan's views on
race and his Eugenist activity. It was also brought up
by a social studies teacher that the SS Department
has begun this discussion as well. There is a lot of
interest in our department to address this in some
manner -- lesson, unit, proposal to the Board to
officially change the name?
This is not a current hot topic in our department, but
it has been discussed and there is a lot of interest. ”
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+ Jordan Renaming: Frequently Heard Comments

Comment: Jefferson, Washington and many others owned slaves and have places named after them,
are we going to change all of them, where does it end


Comment: We need to be careful when viewing historic events from today’s perspective, at the
beginning of the 20th Century Eugenics was very popular


Response: Yes, Eugenics was a very popular movement in the early 20th century, but Jordan’s leadership in
creating the movement, its popularity and its terrible consequences are unquestionable and make him stand out
Comment: Teach history, don’t erase it (from your oh so progressive Palo Alto porch)


Response: The distinguishing criteria should be a question of leadership. Jefferson, Washington and others owned
slaves as they grew up in a “system of slavery” whereas Jordan picked up scientific/evolutionary dabbling and was
instrumental in turning Eugenics into harmful, divisive policies at the national level
The name change is not intended to change history, it is focused on our school community and to represent the
spirit and values of our community. History, in this case Jordan’s accomplishments (for better and for worse), is
appropriately remembered by the institutions he was affiliated with, like Stanford and the Smithsonian
Comment: Changing the name changes nothing, it’s a waste of time/resources. Focus on real
problems/racism in the school district instead

Response: If changing a name is the only thing we are capable of changing then it would change very little. But
addressing racism is not surgical, it requires a balanced mix of messaging and symbolism to go hand-in-hand with
practical actions like the MATD recommendations and subsequent PAUSD policies
+ PAUSD: name change is happening elsewhere

Harvard to discontinue use of ‘House Master’ Title, Dec 2015


Princeton may scrub U.S. President Wilson's name over racist ties, Nov 2015


Princeton University has pledged to consider renaming buildings dedicated to former U.S. President
Woodrow Wilson following student protests given that Wislon “transformed the government into an
instrument of white supremacy” (NYT - the case against Wilson).
White-Supremacist Lineage under review at Yale College, Oct 2015


Harvard College plans to change the title of its heads of residential housing from “house master”, the
traditional term, to a new term that will better “the 21st century needs of student life” according to a
letter to students from the college dean, Rakesh Khurana (NYT Times)
Yale’s Calhoun College, is named for John C. Calhoun, the South Carolina politician to whom
“freedom was based on slavery.” In the wake of the Charleston church murders last June, students at
Yale petitioned the university to change the college’s name.
Amherst College reviewing name of ‘Lord Jeff’ mascot, Oct 2015

President Biddy Martin said the Board of Trustees would take up the question of Lord Jeff no later
than January. Jeffery Amherst distributed smallpox infected blankets to Indians and encouraged
every other method that can serve to extirpate this execrable race
+ PAUSD: name change has happened before

Byrd Stadium to become Maryland Stadium after regents vote, Dec 2015


Robert E Lee Elementary in LA: July 2015


LBUSD Board decided to form a committee to review “all school names”, based on the Frederick
Douglass Liberty Act that banishes confederate names and symbols in California state buildings.
Nathan Bedford Forrest High becomes Westside High Nov 2014


The University of Maryland will strip the name of former school president Byrd, who opposed racial
integration, from its football stadium after a debate at the flagship campus over whether tradition and
historical legacies must bend to modern values.
Following a petition drive that garnered more than 160,000 signatures to change the name of a Florida
school honoring a Confederate general and first “grand wizard” of the Ku Klux Klan, Nathan Bedford
Forrest.
James O. Johnson High School in Huntsville Alabama, 2013.

Renamed in honor of Alabama born astronaut, and first African American in space Mae Carol Jemison.
New Jemison High combines students from two failing schools being closed due to falling enrollment.
+ Jordan Renaming Petition – Conclusion
 David
Starr Jordan’s Eugenics leadership, Nordic racism and discredited
educational views make him the wrong role model for a PAUSD school
 On
behalf of the Jordan Community and the supporters of this petition I am
urging the Board of Education to use its discretion and appoint a “citizen
advisory committee” to review if David Starr Jordan is still the right role model
after whom to name one of our Middle Schools
Re: Renaming of Jordan Middle School Date: November 22, 2015 Lars,
PASS supports the effort to change the name of Jordan Middle School. As you may know, David Starr Jordan was the 1st President of Stanford, but was also a leading Eugenicist. He was of the firm belief that educational achievement is predetermined by race, and that opportunity and education cannot influence a persons intellectual abilities. PAUSD's vision statement says it well: “We support all PAUSD students as they prepare themselves to thrive as global citizens in a rapidly changing world. We develop our students’ knowledge, critical thinking, and problem solving skills, and nurture their curiosity, creativity, and resilience, empowering every child to reach his or her fullest intellectual, social, and creative potential.” Contrast that with Jordan’s view that education does not influence intellectual capacity: “To say that one race is superior to another is merely to confirm the common observation of every intelligent citizen.”
Jordan's value system could hardly be further removed from those of PASS and of our community in general. PASS believes that we are overdue for school names that reflect our principles of inclusion and equity in all of our students, and in particular students among us who are most vulnerable to bias. We urge the Board to put the topic of changing the name of Jordan Middle School on its agenda. We urge the Board to exercise its discretion as per BP7310 to change the name to one that encapsulates our community values and vision for education that meets the diversity of our students. Sara Woodham on Behalf of
Co-Chairs, Parent Advocates for Student Success (PASS)
Kim Bomar and Sara Woodham