New Jersey elementary school weighs renaming after President Trump

A suburban New Jersey school district is considering renaming one of its elementary schools after President Donald Trump, a proposal that has sparked debate among board members and residents.

The idea was introduced by Robert Scales, a member of the Colts Neck Township Board of Education in Monmouth County, who asked the school board to establish an exploratory committee to examine what a name change would entail, NJ.com reported.

The committee, he said, would review potential costs and determine "what lines, if any, could be crossed by naming a school after a president."

Under the proposal, Trump's name would replace that of Conover Road Primary School, which serves students in pre-kindergarten through second grade.

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The district also has a separate building with a similar name, Conover Road Elementary School, for grades three through five.

"What person is doing things that protects our school?" Scales said in arguing that Trump deserves the recognition. 

He suggested the effort could coincide with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in July.

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The proposal surfaced during the board's March 4 meeting, but the nine-member board did not immediately vote on creating the committee.

Some board members voiced enthusiasm for the possibility of renaming, but not all residents supported it.

"I love the idea," school board member Vincent Rugnetta said, according to NJ.com. He also suggested renaming the neighboring elementary school after Joshua Huddy, a Revolutionary War figure with local ties.

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The local outlet reported that Colts Neck voters overwhelmingly supported Trump in the 2024 presidential election, backing him with 69% of the vote compared to 29% for former Vice President Kamala Harris.

Board President Angelique Volpe said she and her husband, fellow board member Kevin Walsh, have reached out to Trump about visiting the district. Walsh has served as director of security for the Trump Organization in New York for the past five years, according to his LinkedIn profile.

"Just to be completely transparent, I've - me and Kevin - have reached out to the president and would love to have him visit our district as well," Volpe said during the meeting.

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Colts Neck resident Matthew Jenkins disagreed with the idea, writing in an Instagram post, "School names are supposed to reflect the virtues we hope to instill in our children: integrity, humility, service, respect for the law, and a commitment to community over self." 

"Donald Trump does not embody those values. He represents division over unity, grievance, overgrowth, personal loyalty over public responsibility," Jenkins said.

Jenkins, a Democrat, unsuccessfully ran for Congress in New Jersey's 4th District in 2024, according to NJ.com.

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A former school board member also urged the board to reject the idea, citing safety concerns.

"Naming a school after a current public figure may not only be divisive, but it also poses safety concerns for our students," said one parent in the district.

Superintendent MaryJane Garibay did not publicly state whether she supports the name change or the establishment of the exploratory committee. She noted that Conover Road Primary School is named after a local landowner whose estate benefited the district.

The local outlet said district policy from 2009 outlines the process required to rename a school and states that facility names must be "free from biases, prejudices, or political, and/or religious connotations" and should reflect the community's location and heritage.