At the September 15, 2020 Board Meeting, York Region District School Board trustees voted unanimously to rename Vaughan Secondary School following the presentation of a report on renaming the school. 

As a Board, we are committed to taking every opportunity to champion equity and inclusivity:

“York Region District School Board (YRDSB) is committed to eliminating all forms of racism, hate, and discrimination. It is working to rid schools and workplaces of systemic racism including anti-Black racism and elevating the experience, perspective and excellence of Black students and staff. This commitment is clearly expressed in the Board priority to Champion Equity and Inclusivity”  - Louise Sirisko, Directo​r of Education, YRDSB, September 2020

The renaming of the school will be initiated in accordance with Board Policy #445.0 , with the consultation to follow a two-step process as follows:

Step 1:  Submiss​ion of names for consideration

• Stakeholders and community members will be invited to participate in the renaming process and submit names for consideration.
• Outreach will include but not be limited to students and families, alumni, staff, Board advisory committee members, community groups and associations, as well as the broader Vaughan community.
• Names submitted through the Vaughan SS Renaming form for consideration will be received beginning November 1 and closing on November 30. 
• Name submissions received during Stage 1 will be reviewed and narrowed to a list of three or four based on the renaming criteria defined in the policy.
• As per Board Policy #445.0, names that are submitted for consideration need to represent the criteria within the policy.

Step 2:  Virtu​al Town Hall 

• Stakeholders and community members will be invited to participate in a Virtual Town Hall, to be held in February.  Participants will have the opportunity to provide input on a shortlist of names being considered, as well as to engage in a process that will narrow down the list to a single name.  The recommended name identified through this process will be brought forward to the Board for approval in April 2021.

Our intention is to ensure that there is a meaningful and inclusive consultation process.  We look forward to selecting a new school name which represents the input from the school community, and aligns with the Board’s Mission, Vision and Values. Your voice matters!