7500s
- 7500 Naming Facilities
- 7510 Student and Staff Member Memorials
- 7510-E Student and Staff Memorials Exhibit
7500 Naming Facilities Policy
School buildings, rooms and structures, both on school grounds and within school facilities, shall be named only by formal action of the Board of Education. In naming schools, rooms, and structures, the Board shall honor the highest ideals and integrity of the District and the community it serves. The Board may name a school building, room, or structure after an individual only when such individual has been determined to characterize sustained and exemplary service to others.
No employee or officer of the Board of Education, student, community member, local, state, national, or international public figure, or other person will be considered for memorialization of a school building, room, or structure name during his/her lifetime. An honoree shall have been deceased at least 12 months prior to being considered for such memorialization.
Requests to memorialize an individual, preferably from an organization or a petition, shall be directed to the Board of Education in writing using the Proposed Name for Facility Application Form (Exhibit 7500-E). The Board of Education’s Business Practices Committee along with the Superintendent will conduct a preliminary review of the application and make a recommendation to the Board about whether or not the application shall proceed to the next step in the process: public comment. If the Board of Education accepts the recommendation to proceed, then the Board of Education will provide a 30 day period during which the public can comment on the recommendation. Public comment can be in person, letter, or in an email.
Following the public comment the board will make a final decision regarding the request, generally within six (6) months of the request.
The Board has the sole discretion to determine whether the individual identified will be memorialized in a school building, room or structure.
This policy does not obligate the Board to maintain the individual’s memorialization of a school building, room or structure name for a specified period of time. Memorialization of a school building, room, or structure name may also be withdrawn at any time.
Adopted January 19, 2016
7510 Student and Staff Member Memorials
Recognizing that the loss of a member of the school community is deeply felt, the Guilderland Central School District Board of Education wishes to support staff, students and families who feel this loss and to assist them in making connections to appropriate community resources.
However, as places designed primarily to promote learning, the school district facilities and grounds should not serve as the main venue to memorialize students or staff members who have died.
Memorials are recognized as a special type of gift given in memory of a deceased individual.
Memorials on school property shall be limited to awards, scholarships, inanimate objects, plaques, collections of books or other items of historical or educational significance. Donors of physical memorials such as inanimate objects, collections of books or other items will be advised in advance that such memorials become the property of the District, that the District cannot guarantee that such memorials will not be damaged or worn and that the District will not be responsible for the repair or replacement of such items. Further, the donors of such physical memorials will be advised that such items may need to be relocated or removed in the future.
Notice will be given if possible. A record of all memorials shall be maintained by the District Office.
As an option to permanent memorials on school property to memorialize an individual or incident, the following options may be considered:
1. Memorial scholarships, in accordance with award guidelines established by the School District.
2. Monetary funds designed to a particular school activity or department, as approved by the School District.
All memorials, whether physical or financial, must be approved in advance by the Superintendent and Board of Education before they are accepted and/or placed within a building or on school grounds.
Adopted: January 28, 2013
Revised and Adopted: December 4, 2018
7510-E Student and Staff Memorials Exhibit
All memorials, whether physical or financial, must be approved in advance by the Superintendent and Board of Education before they are accepted and/or placed within a building or on school grounds.
This form will be used by persons proposing memorials as a special gift given in memory of a deceased individual.
Sections A and B to be completed by the individual or organization proposing the memorial. Section C to be completed by appropriate GCSD administrator. The form should then be submitted to the appropriate building principal to initiate an administrative review of the request. Sections D and E to be completed by the Business Practices committee.
Adopted: December 4, 2018
Reviewed December 7, 2021