She was raised in the foster care system and had a third-grade education. He was raised by a single mother, Sonya Carson, who was one of 24 children. The school’s colors, mascot, and logo will remain the same.Ĭarson is one of the most accomplished individuals to have attended Detroit schools. School signage will be completed by the spring. This change will first be reflected on the school’s and district’s website and letterheads. That process concluded with the majority of current students, staff, parents, alumni, and community members favoring a name change for the school.Īt the subsequent November school board meeting the school board voted to change the name of Ben Carson High School to Crockett Midtown High School of Science and Medicine considering the superintendent’s recommendation, which was based on the engagement process that included a survey and three engagement sessions. Through the recommendation of the superintendent and the urging or (sic) several school board members, the school board voted at its regular board meeting in October 2022 to initiate a school name change consideration process. Ben Carson’s political positions and decisions as a policy maker did not reflect Detroiters and therefore a school should not be named after him. Added to the concern regarding how the name was changed was the fact that many Detroiters felt that Dr. The school’s previous name was founded on the rich history of Dr. Emergency Management was an imposed governance structure that did not represent the voice of Detroiters or their vote.

Vitti explained the name change in a statement to CapCon:Ĭommunity members have been expressing concerns regarding how, under Emergency Management, the school’s name was changed to Ben Carson. The dropout rate went up from 3.26% to 9%. The four-year graduation rate at the school named after Carson was 93.48% in 2016, but it dropped to 82% in the most recent information at. While members of the school board took time to remove from a building the name of someone they don’t agree with, Detroit schools continue to struggle. The 1,500 came from a subsequent survey for another school building. Several national publications reported there were 1,500 votes. A vast majority of responses, 86%, favored removing Carson’s name. The survey showed 375 responses, though the district had no way of knowing if anyone voted more than once. He noted at the board meeting that the district conducted the survey to gauge stakeholder response the board did not intend to base its decision on the survey. Vitti sent out notices of the survey to alumni, parents, students, teachers and others. Members of the school board initiated the process. Despite his accomplishments, the board of education voted to take his name off the high school - because of his political views. cabinet secretary and candidate in the 2016 Republican presidential primary. This is what recently happened to Carson, a pediatric neurosurgeon, former U.S. In practice, however, it erased from the community someone who has political views it disagrees with. The district says it promotes diversity, equity and inclusion. Which is different than ensuring people only vote once. Vitti said he trusts that people would be honest and only vote once. 15 board meeting that an online survey conducted before the vote to remove Carson’s name from the building was not sophisticated enough to ensure that nobody could vote more than once. Nikolai Vitti, district superintendent, admitted at a Nov. Benjamin Carson High School of Science and Medicine. In Michigan, the board of the Detroit Public Schools Community District voted to change the name of the Dr.

School districts around the country have been in the news this year for renaming school buildings.

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