San Antonio NEISD board votes to drop name of Robert E. Lee High School

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Prodded by a fervent national debate over memorializing the Confederacy, North East Independent School District trustees unanimously voted Tuesday to change the name of Robert E. Lee High School.

A process to rename the school was not included in the second of two motions considered by the board, which passed at a special meeting that had no provision for public comments. Superintendent Brian Gottardy indicated that administrators would soon bring forth a plan at a future board meeting.

The crowd responded with applause and some expressions of dismay at the decision, which took place on the second day of school for NEISD students.

They had entered through metal detectors and were watched by half a dozen police officers.

It was the second time in two years that the board had considered the issue.

Those who wanted to keep the name as a source of tradition and pride, and those who considered the school’s name an outdated tribute to a racist past, had fueled hours of public comment at multiple meetings over five months before trustees voted 5-2 to keep the name in 2015.

It quieted debate — for a time. But the violence stemming from a white supremacist rally in support of a statute of the Confederate general in Charlottesville, Virginia earlier this month once again divided Lee alumni and other members of the community. More than 3,600 people signed a petition to change the name, while nearly 6,000 signed another in support of keeping the school’s name.

Several trustees were visibly emotional as each explained their position on an issue they said was disruptive to students and teachers alike as classes resumed this year. Even those who had previously voted against changing the school’s name acknowledged that student safety needed to take priority over what had become a divisive debate for the Lee High community.

The NEISD vote came in advance of a city council vote, scheduled for later this week, on the fate of a statue memorializing Confederate soldiers in Travis Park.

Opening in 1958, Lee High School has decades-old ties to Confederate symbolism. A bronze statue of the Confederate leader is featured in the school’s lobby. Confederate battle flags that once adorned athletic and marching band uniforms were quietly phased out more than 20 years ago.

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