Austin to renew debate over school names

By Melissa B. Taboada - American-Statesman Staff

The Austin school district on Monday will revive discussions to remove the names of Confederate figures from a handful of schools, a topic that has sparked division on the board in recent weeks.

The school board will consider whether to rename five campuses — three of which bear the names of people who served in leadership roles in the Confederate army, and two others named after noted Austinites who also fought for the Confederacy ...

The school board at Monday’s meeting also will discuss adding criteria to its school naming policy. The proposed change adds prejudice, discrimination and bias to a list of actions that disqualify people from having a school named after them. The policy would extend to changing mascots and symbols that do not align with district values ...

http://www.mystatesman.com/news/local-education/austin-district-renew-debate-over-confederate-school-names-monday/9LOjIV8RrC4RVxPGaOjvWP/