School Committee Votes to Rename Saltonstall School to Sarah Parker Remond School
School named after famed Salem abolitionist, speaker and physician
SALEM (Mar. 12, 2025) – The Salem School Committee voted unanimously Monday night to rename the Saltonstall School to the Sarah Parker Remond School, after the famed Salem abolitionist and lecturer, effective July 1, 2026.
The new school is the result of the merger of the kindergarten through grade 5 Carlton Innovation School and the pre-kindergarten through grade 5 Saltonstall School, which was voted upon by the School Committee earlier in the school year.
“We are thrilled to welcome the Sarah Parker Remond School into our portfolio of schools,” said Superintendent Dr. Stephen Zrike. “Sarah Parker Remond serves as an amazing role model for our youth as a strong advocate for social justice, academic excellence and public education. At an early age, she exercised her voice to bring about meaningful change to the city of Salem and beyond. Sarak Parker Remond is a fitting name for this innovative and exciting school community!”
Ms. Remond’s name was selected from nearly a dozen suggestions put forward by the SPS community, including those of renowned abolitionists Robert Morris and Charlotte Forten Grimke.
At Monday’s School Committee meeting, Adelaide Solomon-Jordan, the third great grand niece of Ms. Remond’s, spoke via Zoom and expressed her thanks during the public comment segment.
“I wanted to comment on behalf of our family about how exciting this is for us,” said Ms. Solomon-Jordan. “This is an overdue acknowledgement for the Remond Family.”
Ms. Remond’s legacy is expected to be part of the Salem Summer Academy’s curriculum this summer.
The naming of the school marks the latest location in Salem that bears the Remond name. Remond Park, located at the intersection of Bridge Street and the Essex Bridge, is named after the Remond family: parents John and Nancy Remond, abolitionist brother, Charles Lenox Remond, and daughter Sarah. According to the Park’s mural, the area was once home to a large African-American population.
In June of 2022, Hamilton Hall unveiled a historic women’s suffrage marker honoring the Remond family.
About Sarah Parker Remond
Sarah Parker Remond was born in Salem in 1826 and, along with her sister, was expelled from Salem High School when a group of parents successfully petitioned to separate black and white students. While the petition was backed by Salem’s first-ever mayor, Leverett Saltonstall, ironically for whom the school is currently named, segregation in Salem Public Schools was overturned in 1844 after 19-year-old law student Robert Morris argued successfully to the School Committee.
Ever motivated, Ms. Remond gave her first anti-slavery speech at age 16 and became a sought-after lecturer, the money from which supported her cause and benefitted freed slaves.
When the Civil War broke, Ms. Remond was in London giving a series of lectures and promoting the Union cause. She attended college in Italy and became a physician, though always maintained her passion for equal rights.
Ms. Remond passed away in 1894.
About Salem Public Schools
Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district in Salem, Massachusetts, a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history. Our leaders and our teachers are passionate about education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement with equity and social-emotional needs as the lens through which we view our work. We respect and value the racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of our students and their families, and have a strong commitment to the Salem community. Salem Public Schools staff unconditionally serves each of our 4,000 students across 11 schools regardless of ability or language.
