title:  Texas School Officials Request For New Name Goes Horribly Wrong (VIDEO)
text: Students of Robert E. Lee Elementary School in Austin, Texas, along with their parents, have been battling over the school s name for well over a year.As KXAN reported here, an advisory panel heard testimony from people on both sides of the argument in January.Daniel Oppenheimer, whose children attend the school, told KXAN the name should be changed, saying: It s actually an active deterrent for black families and families of color to attend our school. I think that s reason enough why it s worth thinking about changing. Another parent, Jessica Grogan, expressed similar concerns, telling reporters: I d say my main reason is it is alienating to certain families and I feel like it doesn t represent our community values. Watch video from the January board meeting, courtesy of KXAN below.Following the meeting, the Campus Advisory Board recommended that the school board begin taking steps to change the name of the school.Problem solved, right?Wrong, because it s Texas.The school board asked parents and community members to submit suggestions for the new name.The leading suggestions were as follows:Donald J. Trump Elementary: 45 nominations Robert E. Lee Elementary: 34 nominations Russell Lee Elementary: 32 nominations Harper Lee Elementary: 30 nominations Elisabet Ney Elementary: 15 nominationsThere were plenty of others as well, such as Bleeding Heart Liberal Elementary, Communist Elementary and The Illuminati.Among the least controversial suggestions submitted by Texans were Generic School, Elementary School #1, Bee Movie, Schoolie McSchoolface and The Rubber Duckies.Read all 15 pages of suggested names here.While the original plan was to select from the list of top contenders, it s highly unlikely the school board will approve a name like Donald Trump Elementary.It s sad that so many members of this Austin, Texas community chose not to take the issue seriously. As so many students and parents pointed out, a public school has a duty to ensure that no student is discriminated against and all students feel valued and welcome.The school board hasn t said how it plans to proceed with selecting a new name, in light of the submissions received.The best option appears to be limiting community involvement as much as possible.Featured image via Linda Lawrence via Facebook