Separate school boards in Texas are moving to change the names of high schools named after Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
On Monday night, members of the North East Independent School District board in San Antonio voted to officially change the name of its Robert E. Lee High School to Legacy of Educational Excellence (L.E.E.) High School.
According to KSAT-TV, the board voted to change the school's name in August and accepted submissions for a new name. But the overwhelming majority of people who suggested names apparently didn't take it seriously because only 22 percent of the nearly 2,500 suggestions met the board's criteria.
Some of the submitted names included Adolf Hitler High School and Gregg Popovich High School, according to KSAT.
The school has been named for Lee since it was built in 1958. The board previously considered changing its name during the 2015-2016 school year but it didn't pass the vote.
Meanwhile, in Tyler, Texas — about 300 miles northeast of San Antonio — another school board is seriously considering changing the name of its own Robert E. Lee High School.
On Sept. 19, a majority of members of the Tyler Independent School District board said they support the idea of stripping Lee's name from their building, according to the Tyler Morning Telegraph.
"[Lee] had no personal connection to our city, made no contribution to our schools and became the face of the Confederacy," the board's president said.
Another board member asked, "Is it fair to make African-American children attend a school named for the leading figure of the Confederacy?"
An official move to change the name of Tyler's Robert E. Lee High School has yet to be voted on.
Clint Davis is a reporter for the Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @MrClintDavis. Keep up to date with the latest news by following @ScrippsNational on Twitter.
