ARLINGTON COUNTY, Va. — A years-long battle over an Arlington County high school’s name appears to have found new life.
In January 2019, the Arlington County School Board voted unanimously to change the name of Washington-Lee High School to Washington-Liberty High School.
Washington-Lee High School was named after both President George Washington and Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
Now, the Washington-Lee High School Alumni Association is suing the school board in federal court to void that name change.
The suit, which was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia Friday, also requests a permanent injunction be issued to force the school board to permanently recognize Washington-Liberty High School as Washington-Lee High School.
In the lawsuit, the alumni association alleges the school board suddenly made the decision to change the school’s name without adequate input from the public. It claimed the school board repeatedly and falsely promised locals that there would be a lengthy comment period in which they could express their opinions on the issue.
"This is a case where politicians and their associates actively deceived their constituents, including the alumni association and its members, in order to deprive them of their opportunity to comment on changes that would greatly harm their educational reputations," the lawsuit states.
In June 2018, the Arlington County School Board voted to change its policy on naming schools. After that, the board then decided it should begin the process to change the name of Washington-Lee High School altogether.
At the time, the school board reasoned the Washington-Lee name did not meet the new naming standards of the Arlington County Public Schools system.
The Arlington County School Board, former APS Superintendent Patrick Murphy, and former APS Deputy Superintendent Linda Erdos were listed as defendants in the lawsuit.
WUSA9 has reached out to the school board for comment.
The alumni association, which says it financially supports school-sponsored activities at Washington-Liberty, also said in its lawsuit that the name change has caused the organization to experience financial loss and a decline in membership.
"Changing the Alumni Association’s name to 'Washington-Liberty' would not cure this injury," the lawsuit states. "Not only would such a change be costly, but it would cause the alumni association to lose its connection with the school’s past accomplishments and confuse members and potential donors who still remember the School as 'Washington-Lee.'"
The alumni association is also seeking compensatory damages to be awarded by the court. It has requested a jury trial.
This is not the first time opponents of the name change have filed a lawsuit about the conduct of the school board.
Three students sued Arlington County Public Schools in 2018 because they believed the school board’s vote on the school’s name change violated the board’s own policies of open government and transparency.