The Tulsa School Board hears from patrons and supporters of the Robert E. Lee Elementary School. The board was told, by some patrons, that the school’s name should not be changed to Council Oak. Others supported the change.
With his ties to slavery and the Civil War, the Lee name has become offensive to some in the community. A committee selected the name Council Oak to honor the nearby tree where the Creek Nation first met after its relocation to Oklahoma in the Trail of Tears.
The board was criticized for what was called a lack of transparency in the process. There have been two committees involved in the renaming process and some meetings were open to the public. The patrons presented the board with a petition calling for the name to be shortened to “Lee”.
The board will again take up the name change at its next meeting, later this month.