Conn. elementary school to be named after Barack Obama
A new elementary school in Connecticut is being named in honor former President Obama.
According to The Associated Press, public school administrators in the New Haven district joined with civic leaders and officials in the community for the ground breaking of the facility, named Barack H. Obama Magnet University School.
The 64,000-square-foot school is expected to hold roughly 500 students from pre-kindergarten to the fourth grade.
The magnet school will replace the former Strong 21st Century Communications School and is scheduled to open its doors in fall 2019.
New Haven Superintendent Carol Birks told AP the district hopes to further Obama’s “commitment to urban education.”
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Southern Connecticut State University students will also reportedly have an opportunity to gain an in-class experience at the magnet school.
According to the news agency, the $45 million school is believed to be the first in New England to have been named in honor of the former president.
Last year, a public school in Mississippi that was originally named after Confederate President Jefferson Davis announced it would be renamed to honor Obama.
The name change last year came amid an ongoing debate over the removal of Confederate statues in various cities across the country.
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