From the loving family of Mr. Crawford

Dear Supporters,

Thank you for your continued support of our effort to rename the SPHS band room in honor of Mr. Howard E. Crawford. We encourage you to join us at the upcoming South Pasadena Unified School District board meeting on Tuesday, 10/8, as we continue to advocate for this recognition of his 34-year legacy sustaining the SPHS visual and performing arts program.

If you are unable to attend in person, we ask that you help amplify this cause by sharing this news article and our family-led community petition with South Pasadena city representatives, community leaders and organizations, local/regional media contacts, and across your social media networks (please use our hashtag #RenameSPHSbandroom)

Next week will be our third time attending the monthly SPUSD board meeting, where over 20 community members and our family have collectively provided more than an hour of public commentary in support of our request to rename the band/music room. 

Despite our efforts, during the first board meeting in August, no action was taken after our request was added to the agenda for discussion. In the second meeting, the request was not acknowledged at all. You can view past commentary here:

Meeting 1 - (August 13, 2024)
Meeting 2 - (September 10, 2024)

We recently learned that a special board meeting was held on September 24, 2024, with minimal advance notice, and the recording of public comments has not been made available online. It’s our understanding that discussions and/or comments opposing our request may have taken place during this meeting. 

Now, more than ever, we need your support to push for transparency and fairness to get the board to formally vote on our request. 

Please note each board meeting is closed at 5:30pm and opens to the public at 6:30pm. You can arrive early before the public meeting begins (by 6:15pm) to request a 3-minute public commentary time slot at this address:

South Pasadena Unified School District
1100 El Centro Street
South Pasadena, CA 91030

Your support and voices are critical to ensure Mr. Crawford’s legacy is honored and recognized for the impact he’s had on generations of students. Thank you for standing with us, and we hope to see many of you at the meeting.