Policy Change Breathes New Life in Latino School Naming Cause in Waterbury

Thanks to a new policy change, there may still be hope for Waterbury residents fighting for a nod to the city’s Latino population by naming one of its schools after a Hispanic. CtLatinoNews.com has been following the developments surrounding their efforts for the past several months. 

According to a post by the Waterbury Observer, Waterbury’s board of education has lifted a ban on renaming an existing school building. The Observer reported that Felix Rodriguez, Commissioner of the Waterbury Board of Education, who has taken the lead on naming a Waterbury school after a Hispanic, has his sights on renaming Hopeville School, which has a high Hispanic student population.

Half of the students in Waterbury public schools are Hispanic, but there are no schools in the Waterbury named after a Latino.

This policy change is one huge step forward in losing the distinction as the only large city in Connecticut without a school named after a prominent Latino/Hispanic,” Rodriguez said in a Facebook post.

When I agreed to serve on the Waterbury Board of Education, I knew I would be confronted with issues that were unpopular, controversial, and sensitive. I also agreed to represent all of the students of this great city. And I fully believe I have done that.”

Recently, a proposal to name Waterbury’s newest school after fallen firefighter Heriberto “Eddie” Rivera was recently struck down in favor of “Waterbury Career Academy”.

(Photo by Felix Rodriguez)


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