The Fairfax County School Board Tuesday voted to change the name of Robert E. Lee High School.
The school, built in 1958, is one of about a dozen schools nationwide named for the Confederate general. About 1,800 students attend the school, which is in the Franconia neighborhood.
FCPS is now asking for community input and is scheduled to vote on the new name July 23. The new name will go into effect by the start of school in August.
Superintendent Scott S. Brabrand submitted recommendations for a new name for the school. His suggestions include John Lewis (U.S. Congressman), Barack Obama, Mildred Loving, Cesar Chavez, Legacy, and Central Springfield. The School Board could choose a different name entirely.
A one-month public comment period starts now and will continue through the voting on July 23. A community meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, July 15, for community members to provide feedback on the recommended names for the school.
Residents may also provide feedback via email to region3admin@fcps.edu. The School Board will hold a public hearing on the name change on Wednesday, July 22, at 4 p.m.
The process to change the name of the school started back in February with two FCPS Board members.
School Board vice chair and Lee District representative Tamara Derenak Kaufax, who initiated the call for a change with at-large member Karen Keys-Gamarra, released this statement: “We are grateful for the feedback provided by the community during this process. We have carefully considered their input, and will be moving forward with the name change at Lee High School. As I stated in February when this process began, Confederate values are ones that do not align with our community. I have seen the pain and hurt that these names have inflicted on friends, colleagues, and community members. Our schools need to be places where all students, staff, and members of the community feel safe and supported.”
Lee High School is not the only one in this area facing calls for a change: A group of residents are also calling to change the name of Alexandria's T.C. Williams High School, named for a local superintendent who opposed desegregation in schools.
At this time, schools are struggling for funding, as the novel coronavirus has wrecked the local and state economy. Changing a name could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in new signage, stationary, logo development, athletics uniforms and more. Lee High School's athletic teams are called the Lancers.
