Midland ISD became the first district in Texas to revert back to a Confederate-linked school name change late Tuesday, voting 4-3 to restore Midland Legacy High School back to Midland Lee five years after it was renamed Legacy amid a nationwide racial reckoning.<\/p>\n
The change will take effect in the 2026-27 school year, so Allen will still be playing Legacy at Eagle Stadium on Aug. 29 in Week 1 of the Texas high school football season.<\/p>\n
The name change reverses a 2020 decision spurred by protests after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. That July, Midland ISD approved dropping the Lee moniker in favor of Legacy, which has served as the name for five academic calendars.<\/p>\n
The original name honoring Confederate general Robert E. Lee had drawn decades of scrutiny but also fierce loyalty from alumni, particularly those tied to the school\u2019s football legacy, which includes three state titles under coach John Parchman and star running back Cedric Benson.<\/p>\n
High School Sports<\/p>\n
Midland ISD Vice President Josh Guinn, who was elected in 2024, spearheaded the push, framing it as a defense of local heritage.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere in Midland, Texas, our traditions\u2014forged by generations of hardworking Midlanders\u2014are the bedrock of our community,\u201d Guinn wrote in a July 4 Facebook post. \u201cThese are not mere names; they are symbols of our shared pride, our unyielding commitment to unity, and our gratitude to the thousands who\u2019ve funded this school to elevate education and strengthen our town. This is not about division\u2014 it\u2019s about honoring the patriotic legacy that binds us.\u201d<\/p>\n
The school district paid $2 million to update its athletic and band uniforms, according to the Texas Tribune, as well as other signage. School board member Tommy Bishop, who voted against changing it back, told the Tribune going back to Lee could cost about $20,000.<\/p>\n
Opponents of changing the name back to Lee argued that it would be offensive, particularly to students of color, and cited the school\u2019s history, according to the Midland Reporter-Telegram. Lee was segregated when it opened in 1961, after the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education ruling that segregation was unconstitutional.<\/p>\n
In a survey by the Midland Reporter-Telegram, 75% of respondents favored reverting to Lee, with many citing nostalgia and dismissing ties to the Confederacy. Many described the 2020 renaming as a \u201cwoke\u201d agenda being pushed. Some alumni argued that the majority of them were not in favor of the name change originally.<\/p>\n
Midland Legacy did not change its mascot, which is still the Rebels. In 2020, one Dallas-area school decided to change its mascot from the Rebels to the Royals \u2014 Richland, in Birdville ISD.<\/p>\n
Texas still has nearly 40 schools with Confederate ties, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.<\/p>\n
In 2017, Dallas ISD approved changing the names of three elementary schools that honored Confederate generals, including Lee.<\/p>\n
The Midland ISD vote reflects the national divide over buildings and monuments with Confederate names and efforts to restore them. In June, President Donald Trump announced seven Army bases would revert to a variation of their original names, which honored Confederates, by being named after service members with similar names.<\/p>\n