Oklahoma school to change Confederate name – sort of

TULSA, Okla. (AP) – A public school district in Oklahoma has voted to retain the surname of an elementary school named after Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

The Tulsa Public Schools board voted 4-3 on Monday to change the name of Robert E. Lee Elementary School to Lee Elementary School. But opponents question whether the new name does enough to erase Lee’s history.

The Tulsa World reports the decision comes after a months-long evaluation. It also follows the March removal of a nearly century-old monument of the Confederate general at the school.

Hundreds petitioned to change the school’s name following violent protests by white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia, last year.

The school was dedicated and named after Lee in 1918. The board also voted to rename Andrew Jackson Elementary School to Unity Learning Academy.