Board votes: Ash Grove Intermediate at Bois D'Arc, Ash Grove Board of Education renames historic Bois D'Arc Elementary

Seated in front of a graphic of Bois D'Arc Elementary School with new signage that read "Ash Grove Intermediate" and "Bois D'Arc Campus," the Ash Grove Board of Education voted 6-0 to adopt the name "Ash Grove Intermediate at Bois D'Arc" at the body's June 24 meeting. 

The new moniker, which will be the official title submitted to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, will possibly only be used by DESE. For other purposes within the district, including letterhead or ceremonial, other versions were on the table, such as "Ash Grove Intermediate at the Historic Bois D'Arc campus."

"The official name doesn't have to go up there," contended longtime member Mike Gray. "The official name could be: Ash Grove Intermediate at the Historic Bois D'Arc campus. Having gone there… 'at Bois D'Arc' sounds kind of unfinished."

"The reality of it is, 90 percent of the time I'm going to call it 'Bois D'Arc,'" later said Superintendent Shane Medlin.

Although Medlin originated the idea of the name change, he did submit that he wanted to keep "Bois D'Arc" in the name to honor the past. 

"But I also think it needs to have Ash Grove," Medlin said. 

"None of the historical stuff is leaving in the front or any of those things," Medlin added. 

The vote for the name change followed much discussion from the board, who sat absent member Stephanie Dean.

Per Medlin, the name change must be submitted to DESE between January and March, therefore the name change will be officially sent to the state in January 2027.

In other action, the board voted 6-0 to:

- Update handbooks to include vape discipline in the secondary school, and job descriptions;

- Update the school's free website to be ADA compliant, which i now required, at a cost of $12,600 to build and $8,100 annually;

- Take out a $500,000 OMB loan at 2 percent interest to pay off the energy savings loan;

Announcements

-It was announced by Medlin that the day of the meeting was the last official day on the job for longtime high school principal Chris Thompson, who is now retired.

- Medlin also announced that the newly enacted A-F rating system enacted by Governor Mike Kehoe through executive order—following its failure in the legislature—will begin next year. 

"It's to make public schools looks bad. That's the whole purpose of it," Medlin said.