Ysleta ISD votes to rename Cesar Chavez Academy

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Cesar Chavez Academy of the Ysleta Independent School District will be renamed "The Academy." Wednesday, YISD board members voted 6-1 for the name change.

Board member Shane Haggerty was the only member to vote against the change.

"I understand why we are changing the name of our school, but renaming the campus to The Academy doesn't honor anyone. My opinion, it erases the community. Our district serves numerous families who have deep Mexican-American roots, and there is no shortage of people with that same heritage that are worth putting on our building," Haggerty said.

Haggerty mentioned three people whose names could be added to the school: Silvia Mendez, Pat Mora and Lauro Cavazos.

Haggerty said Mendez was a student at the center of Mendez v. Westminster (1947), which was the case that ruled forced segregation of Mexican American students into separate schools as unconstitutional.

Mora is an El Paso-born poet. Haggerty mentioned she started the Dia de los Libros program and received numerous honorary doctorates.

Lastly, Cavazos was president of Texas Tech, the first Hispanic cabinet member who was also the Secretary of Education.

The talk of renaming the school comes after recent sexual abuse allegations about labor rights activist Cesar Chavez came out in March.

Initially, YISD said it couldn't rename an existing facility unless its "educational function or support activity is changed and/or redirected," per its policy. In April, the board voted 5-1 to change its renaming policy. Haggerty opposed the vote, while Board Secretary Connie Woodruff was absent.

In Wednesday's meeting, Board President Carlos Bustillos said he met with his community who are on board for renaming the school "The Academy."

In April, Las Cruces Public Schools voted to rename one of its elementary schools after Chavez. It has since been renamed Desert Bloom Elementary School.