JACKSONVILLE--It took them a while to get with the times. Now they're paying the price.
A Florida school that has long been named after a Confederate general who was the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan is finally taking down signs with his name, accoridng to local media.
But there's a hefty price tag for Nathan Bedford Forrest High School in Jacksonville to finally enter the 21st century by transforming into Westside High School.
It will cost Duval County Public Schools about $220,000 to change the signs, gym floor and athletic uniforms, district spokeswoman Tia Ford told the Florida Times-Union.
Community members have donated labor and roughly $2,807 to help offset the costs. The school district, which is still accepting donations, is taking money from its general fund to pay for the changes, according to the Florida paper.
The high school will no longer have signs reading Nathan Bedford Forrest.GoogleThe high school will no longer have signs reading Nathan Bedford Forrest.
The Duval County School Board voted unanimously to change the name in December after more than 160,000 people signed an online petition to get rid of the slave trader's name.
The school got its name back in 1959 when white leaders in the community wanted to protest a court ruling to integrate schools, according to the petition.
"I don't want my daughter, or any student, going to a school named under those circumstances. This is a bad look for Florida — with so much racial division in our state, renaming Forrest High would be a step toward healing." Omotayo Richmond, a resident of Jacksonville, wrote in the petition.
Over the past few decades, many alumni advocated for keeping the name which drew out the controversy, reported The Florida Times-Union.
Posted By: Siebra Muhammad
Friday, June 20th 2014 at 9:32AM
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