Changes to how the Greater-Essex County District School Board will name schools lacks guidelines to avoid future controversy, according to a board trustee.
At a board meeting on Tuesday night, Linda Qin raised concerns about how changes to the naming policy will address previous “shortcomings.”
“As we know, last time in our board, there was a lot of chaos and debates… and it’s not very clear how to process those kinds of controversial comments,” Qin said.
The remarks were a direct reference to the controversial naming of the new K-12 school in Kingsville, Erie Migration District School.
Frustrations erupted over several weeks in 2024 over a name that some felt lacked significance to the town.
Recommendations by a naming committee were passed over by the board for a name they preferred.
The updated policy continues to give trustees the final say on any school name, without having to provide a reason.
Qin put forward a motion to send the policy back to the committee stage because it “lacks procedure,” to address previously raised concerns.
“If such serious conflicts happen, how can we handle that? Because we experienced a very bad example before,” Qin said.
The motion by Qin was opposed by many members and eventually defeated before the policy changes were approved. Trustee Cathy Cooke said it was time to “move forward” from previous decisions.
“What happened, happened. It was a board decision. We move forward,” Cooke said.
In a statement issued to CTV News after the meeting, a spokesperson for GECDSB said the board underwent an “extensive review” to ensure the policy’s clarity.
“The revisions clarify the language and better define the respective roles of the Naming Advisory Committee and the Board of Trustees,” Madeline McEachern wrote.
“We are confident that these updates will continue to ensure a clear and transparent process for naming future Board facilities.”
EDITORIAL NOTE: A previous version of this article incorrectly noted changes to the naming policy committee, and naming criteria. They have not been changed but instead updated for further transparency.
-Reporting by CTV Windsor's Robert Lothian