After months of deliberations, Oxnard School District officials approved the name change for the former César Chavez School.
The school district announced in an Aug. 25 news release that the board of trustees had approved changing the school's name to Juanita Academy of Literacy, Communication Arts and Technology.
The name was among five finalists: Juanita, Monarcas, Colonia, Academia de Águilas and Cuauhtémoc. The board ultimately landed on Juanita, named after the street where the school was formerly located.
“A school’s name should reflect its values, aspirations, and sense of purpose,” said Oxnard School District Superintendent Dr. Ana DeGenna in the release. “We are proud to honor the traditions that have shaped this school while looking
ahead to continued achievement.”
While the name change has been decided, the school district's rollout of the change will take time as the state's department of education will be notified of the change, said Ginger Shea, a spokesperson for the district.
The school's principal did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Late last month, a statue of the late labor leader was removed from the school, and a mural was painted over.
Why did Oxnard School District change the school name?
On March 18, The New York Times published an article in which three women, including Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers with Chavez, described being molested or raped by Chavez.
Since the article's publication, states, cities and school districts all over the country have started to distance themselves from Chavez. The Ventura County Board of Supervisors changed the name of the March 31 holiday from César Chavez Day to Farmworkers Day, and the Oxnard City Council is considering renaming César Chavez Drive.
On March 25, the Oxnard School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously to move forward with the process to rename the campus at 301 N. Marquita St.
In 1993, the pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade campus in Oxnard’s La Colonia neighborhood was renamed for Chavez, who lived in La Colonia for some of his childhood and later worked in Oxnard as a labor and community organizer.
Reporter Makena Huey contributed to this story.
Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com, 805-437-0224 or @ecentenoaraujo on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: New name is approved for César Chavez School in Oxnard
