A Plano Senior High School alumnus is calling on Plano ISD to replace a memorial honoring deceased students and alumni after its removal during campus renovations.
A petition calling for the replacement of a memorial at Plano Senior High School has gained more than 1,000 signatures. Its organizer is Zack Rabah, whose late brother was among those honored at the site.
The memorial, which featured plaques commemorating members of the school community who had died, was removed as part of ongoing campus renovations. Rabah’s brother, Gabriel Rabah, died Nov. 4, 2016. His name was included on the memorial wall, which became a meaningful place for the family to visit.
“That wall was not just a structure,” Rabah wrote in his petition. “It was a place we could visit, reflect, and feel connected to Gabriel. Knowing his name was honored there brought comfort during an unimaginable time of grief.”
Rabah said his family was not notified when the memorial was removed. His wife learned of its removal during a visit to the school, and Rabah said it took approximately two weeks to retrieve his brother’s plaque.
“When the remodel began and the memorial was taken down without any plan to replace it, that comfort was taken with it,” Rabah wrote.
Rabah launched an online petition asking Plano ISD to acknowledge the memorial’s removal and commit to installing a permanent replacement on the renovated campus.
The petition also requests that the district establish a committee of students, alumni and affected families to help design the new memorial, identify funding and a timeline for its installation, and place it in a prominent location.
Within 35 hours of launching the petition, Rabah said it had collected more than 500 signatures. Now, it has over 1,300.
“For our family, and for every family who lost someone remembered on that wall, the silence from the school district has been deeply painful,” Rabah wrote.
In response, Plano ISD added to its FAQs regarding the renovations.
“Campus memorial items, including artifacts from the memorial garden, were removed and stored as part of the extensive renovation underway at Plano Senior High School. We recognize the significance of these memorials to alumni and families.
Campus and district leaders have documented the memorials and are developing a plan to recognize those previously honored. As part of that work, they are considering how the memorials may be incorporated into the renovated campus, taking into account design, access, and campus safety and security.
We will provide more information to the Plano Senior High School community as plans move forward”
But Rabah said the uncertainty is not reassuring.
“Unfortunately, the verbiage they are using is not sufficient. Saying ‘may be incorporated’ is not acceptable – it NEEDS to be incorporated, no exceptions,” Rabah said. “This ‘plan’ should have been in place the moment it was torn down. Until there is definitive plans, renderings, as well as a statement from the school board regarding the memorial being built, this petition will stay up.”
An original version of this story was published Oct. 13, 2026.