Trustees want input on Austin schools named after Confederates (TX)

Julie Chang
6:34 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, 2015

A committee of Austin school trustees have recommended that the school board take community input as it develops a process to possibly change the names of four campuses named after Confederates.

About a dozen people — many of whom live near Robert E. Elementary School in Hyde Park — spoke at Thursday’s meeting of the board’s equity committee. The speakers were overwhelmingly in support of changing the name of the elementary school.

“People have questioned Lee’s name for many years but recent national events underscored the fact that the name does not represent our values as a community,” said Susan Moffett, a former Lee parent and part of a group of former parent-teacher association members. “We believe the name on that building matters and it should be a name that welcomes all families and all children with dignity and respect.”

The committee on Thursday recommended to the full school board to develop a formal process to consider renaming at least four schools — Lee and Eastside Memorial at Johnston, Sydney Lanier and John H. Reagan high schools. The trustees who approved the recommendation said that they would like the campuses’ advisory committees — which are made up of school officials, parents, students and community members — to be involved in any changes to the names ...

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local-education/trustees-want-input-on-austin-schools-dedicated-to/nnNmR/