The Delano Joint Union High School District held a special meeting on June 29 and voted to rename Cesar E. Chavez High School as Chavez Collegiate High School. The proposal to change the school’s name came after student petitions were made following the sexual assault allegations against the late farmworker activist.
Although many students, faculty, and community members in the early meetings expressed that they did not wish to be associated with the late advocate Cesar Chavez, the board decided on the name Chavez Collegiate High School because they believed it represented the broader community. The board, along with others, wanted to keep the school’s acronym, “CCHS,” given its ties to the community.
“The name Chavez Collegiate High School was selected in part to reflect both continuity and a forward-looking academic focus. The term Collegiate emphasizes the school’s strong college readiness efforts, including its award-winning dual enrollment program,” said Kenneth Moore, Superintendent of Delano Joint Union High School District.
When asked how the name Chavez Collegiate High School represents its students, faculty, and staff, given the many shared concerns about being affiliated with Cesar Chavez, Moore stated that the board considered the community’s two-decade history with the school’s acronym, CCHS, and the contributions made by the Chavez family to the Delano community.
“[It]removes any direct reference to the name, image, and/or likeness of Cesar Chavez himself. The board also recognizes that there are diverse perspectives within the community, and those views were part of the overall consideration in the decision-making process,” said Moore.
In May, the Citizens Advisory Committee for the Cesar E. Chavez High School renaming process recommended to the board the name Unity High School, as they believed it best reflected the values and identity of students, faculty, and staff. The proposed name came from the list of the ten approved names from a multi-decade survey.
At the time, the board explained that choosing a name not on the survey list would cost the district $100,000 in property center fees.
Moore explained that the district sought legal advice to find an alternative name outside the survey list and had to pay the $100,000 stipulated in the agreement.
“The District sought a formal legal opinion on this issue. Based on that review, the legal risk to the District in adopting the name Chavez Collegiate High School is very minimal,” Moore explained.
Community members can expect the implementation of the Chavez Collegiate High School to occur in phases, beginning with the signage, materials, and communication. Once changes have been completed, communication with the community will continue.
