After nearly 11 months of debate, the Duval County School Board on Tuesday voted in favor of the superintendent’s recommendation to rename six public schools that are branded after controversial historical figures, and keep the names of three.
Florida board renames schools that had honored Confederate leaders
Following a months-long debate, the Duval County School Board decided on the names Tuesday night.
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âIt is a challenge,â Superintendent Diana Greene, shown in this file photo, told FirstCoast News of the decision to rename schools that had been named after Confederate leaders. âYou think you know what is going to happen. You think you know how you are going to feel, but then when it happens, a flood of emotions came over me.â [ BOB SELF/FLORIDA TIMES-UNION | The Florida Times-Union ]
Updated 1 hour ago
JACKSONVILLE â A Florida school board has voted to rename six schools named for Confederate leaders, but will keep three others named for a French colonizer and a U.S. president who supported slavery and forced Native Americans to move west along the Trail of Tears.
Duval Schools Superintendent Diana Greene thinks six Jacksonville schools should be renamed, her recommendations obtained by the Times-Union said.
The news comes after nearly a year of debates prompting locals to reckon with the city s ties to Confederate leaders and colonizers. After a contentious set of community meetings and balloting, voting results showed that Jaxsons wanted to see schools tied to the Confederacy renamed.
Now, through a formal set of recommendations to the school board, Greene has revealed that she agrees.
The schools Greene recommends renaming are:
Joseph Finegan Elementary to Anchor Academy
Stonewall Jackson Elementary to Hidden Oaks Elementary School