The Austin ISD board of trustees began discussion Nov. 2 to address the months-long requests from community members to change the names of five AISD school names, including Robert E. Lee Elementary School.

The discussion went from evaluating the existing AISD policy on school name changes to several trustees directly addressing issues of racism, classism and sexism in the Austin community.

The board did not take action on any name changes but instead agreed to allow the discussion to continue during the board policy committee meeting, which occurs Nov. 20.

Several trustees, including trustees Kendall Pace and Yasmin Wagner, said the name change policy needs to be more specific.

Trustee Edmund Gordon also gave historical context by explaining how past AISD board members resisted school integration by naming five schools after Confederate leaders during the Civil War Centennial in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

“Austin calls itself liberal and tolerant,” Gordon said. “But it’s just another southern town.”

Both Gordon and trustee Jayme Mathias said the issue at hand is a moral one.

“Will we continue to dust under the rug legitimate issues?” Mathias said.

Trustee Ann Teich, who said she has lived in Austin for 51 years, sent an open invitation to attend a high school football game on Friday nights to show that Austin is a “real neighborhood town” and that the only tension is the competition between the two opposing football teams. She added that one does not know the nuances of a town until one has lived in the community for many years.

On any name change proposals, Teich said she would want schools to be named after women. Teich said women is the “oldest oppressed group.”

Trustee Amber Elenz, representing the district that includes Lee Elementary, said school leadership is being distracted by the name change conversation as they have to spend seven to 10 hours per week on the issue.

“I would love to solve the bigger problem,” Elenz said. “But in the meantime, we owe some direction to [Lee Elementary].”