District 300 approves new naming policy for facilities

The Du Quoin District 300 Board of Education has created a new committee to take control of naming its facilities to honor important local people.

The committee, approved Thursday, will consist of members of the board appointed by the president, a member of the Du Quoin Education Association, and two community members. One of the community members will be a retired educator, and the other will be a parent of a current student.

Proposals for naming a facility after an individual may be submitted to the district office in writing. In the proposal, the party will have to state the suggested name, why it should be named such, which property will be named, and a background on the person a property is being named after.

Once it is submitted, the proposal will have to be approved by the new naming committee and will go to the school board for the final say.

For a name to be considered, it must meet one of four basic guidelines. The person must have provided a significant service to the district, be a successful alumnus, made a significant voluntary or financial donation to the school without the intention of a facility being named after them, or be a memorial for a person who has passed.

The committee has the right to refuse a name if it goes against the school's policies or laws. Any names related to weapons, tobacco, alcohol or illicit drugs will be immediately denied.

All members at the meeting voted yes except for Paul Brock. Brock thought this may cause more problems and suggested an alternative.

"When you do something like that, you just open up a whole can of worms," Brock said. "This is just my opinion. I think it'd be much simpler to recognize that fact and just give them a plaque or something like that."