San Francisco hasn't even been able to open its public schools for teaching and learning amid the pandemic. Its school board's recent vote to rename 44 schools named after Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and other figures has prompted a significant backlash. Among the schools slated for renaming is Dianne Feinstein elementary school; that prompted a memorable Wall Street Journal editorial headlined, "Cancelling Dianne Feinstein."
Left unremarked mostly is the question of who thought naming a school after a still-active politician was a good idea to begin with. Back in 2010, when Frank Lautenberg was still a senator, a trip through the Frank R. Lautenberg Rail Station prompted me to suggest: "How about a law that says no federal money can be used to name anything for a politician until the politician is dead?"
Some have suggested just giving the schools numbers, like P.S. 38, instead of naming them after people, who are flawed. One possible alternative might be to name them after virtues or character traits. Humility High School. Industrious Elementary School. Honesty Middle School. Integrity Elementary School. Kindness School. Loyalty School.