ROSITA SCHOOL logo.
By Jim Tortolano
Orange County Tribune
Rosita Elementary School in Santa Ana, a part of the Garden Grove Unified School District, is being considered for re-naming in honor of the Palomino family, participants in the historic Mendez v. Westminster case which helped end racial segregation in California public schools and across the nation.
The GGUSD Board of Education held a study session before the regular meeting of the board on Tuesday. No action was taken, as – according to Superintendent Gabriela Mafi – there’s a policy that outlines the process for renaming a school which includes a community survey and finally, a public hearing.
If the school board finally approves the change, it would be the first one since Lampson Intermediate School was changed to Ralston Intermediate in 1983-4.
The request for the change came from a community member.
Frank Palomino and Irene Palomino were a party to the Mendez suit, in which Mexican students were segregated into a separate school in not only the Westminster School District but several other Orange County districts.
The plaintiffs prevailed at the state Supreme Court and the case was cited as a precedent in Brown vs. Board of Education in 1954 in which the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed racial segregation in public education nationally.
NOTE: This article has been corrected to indicate that the request for renaming Rosita came from a community member, not the Palomino family.
Categories: Schools
Why change the name to someone’s last name it sounds like a jail or prison just do us a damn favor and leave it the way it is. Most of us that went there as kids remember that name specifically and loved it. Palomino family please make yourselves some mailbox plaques.
Bad idea, costly and insensitive to those who attended. Someone should look up why it was originally named Rosita in the first place. There was probably a reason.