Jacksonville — The JAX Chamber Board of Directors is urging the Duval County School Board to change the names of schools named after Confederate soldiers.
A small group of protestors were at City Hall Friday morning demanding the Duval County School Board change the name of six schools named after Confederate soldiers. Meanwhile, the JAX Chamber Board of Directors met at the Shultz Center, where they unanimously passed a resolution urging the Duval County School Board to change the names of the six public schools that are currently named after Confederate soldiers.
Last year, Duval Schools began the renaming process which includes community meetings, as well as surveys from residents, students and alumni on possible names.
Duval County Schools Superintendent Diana Greene was at City Hall Friday morning, and shortly after the outburst from protestors, she told Action News Jax’s sister station WOKV that her goal is to remain calm and stick to the process. She added the school board will be voting on the school renaming in June.
“We wanted to make sure that our decision was made in time before the votes,” said Matt Galnor, the Chief Public Affairs Officer at JAX Chamber.
“This is an economic development issue,” JAX Chamber Chair Henry Brown said in a press release.
Brown serves as President and CEO of Miller Electric. “We are asking companies to invest here, and for top talent to move and live here. We say that we are open to everyone and I believe that we are. But, right now, we have six school names that tell African Americans otherwise.”
There are 12 schools in Florida currently named for Confederate soldiers, and six of those schools are in Duval County.
“Our public schools should reflect the open, inclusive community that we are,” Brown also said in the press release. “The Chamber is taking action to expand economic opportunity to everyone in our community, including creating the Lewis and White Business League and expanding the role of the JAX Chamber Foundation.
Supporting the name change of these six schools is one more way for the business community to say that everyone is welcome in Jacksonville and everyone can succeed here.”
The schools are:
J.E.B. Stuart Middle School
Jefferson Davis Middle School
Joseph Finegan Elementary School
Kirby-Smith Middle School
Stonewall Jackson Elementary School
Robert E. Lee High School
The school renaming process also includes Andrew Jackson High School and Jean Ribault middle and high schools, but the Chamber is not taking a position on those names at this time.
The JAX Chamber describes itself as a business membership organization dedicated to driving quality economic growth in Northeast Florida to make this region the best place to live, work and play. Membership provides the opportunity to connect with and buy from other Chamber members.
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