Amarillo’s Robert E. Lee Elementary Getting New Name
It’s not exactly a name change. It’s more of a truncation.
Over the last year a wave of reexamination and in some cases, elimination of monuments and tributes to figures of the defeated Southern Confederacy has divided the country and caused many to revisit history. Amarillo is not immune to the movement.
With an elementary school named after commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, Robert E. Lee, the movement was destined to stop in Amarillo, eventually. Discussions have been ongoing for some time about potentially changing the name of Robert E. Lee Elementary and a decision has been announced on the disposition of the name of the elementary school located in Park Hills.
In a 4-3 vote, Amarillo ISD has voted for change, but it isn’t exactly changing. It’s more of an abbreviation.
The school will now be named Lee Elementary. It wasn’t announced who the new name references or honors nor whether the name is some kind of acronym to be written in all caps.
It was obvious during the aftermath of the announcement neither those wanting change or those wanting to leave the name were satisfied with the idea. It marked the first time since the controversy started that both sides agreed on something.