Amarillo ISD Votes To Remove Lee’s Name From Elementary School

In an unanimous vote from the Amarillo Independent School Board District Board of Trustees, Lee Elementary School will be renamed Park Hills Elementary School. The school was formerly known as Robert E. Lee Elementary School until a vote in 2018 shortened the name to just Lee Elementary. The new Park Hills name is a nod to the subdivision which the school is located on Northeast 15th Avenue. AISD Superintendent Doug Loomis hopes that this name change will help to bring groups of students together, with the school leaving behind the turmoil of being named after a Civil War Confederate general.

Those in attendance report that the name change was celebrated with loud cheers and that many citizens took to the podium to speak in favor of the name change. Loomis says the name change to the school will cost around $25,000, mostly due to the sign out front of the school and around campus. The board chose to expedite the vote so that changes could be made before the start of the school year.