February 21, 2020

Dear Lee High School Pyramid Students, Parents, Guardians, and Staff,

On February 6, the Fairfax County School Board met in Forum and decided to move forward with the process to rename Robert E. Lee High School as proposed by School Board Members Tamara Derenak Kaufax (Lee District) and Karen Keys-Gamarra (At-Large).

Regulation 8170 outlines Procedures for Naming School Facilities and Dedicating Areas of School Facilities or Grounds, the process for renaming schools and engaging the community.

On February 20, the proposal to rename Lee High School was posted as New Business on the School Board meeting agenda. As outlined in the regulation, a one month period of public comment, which  includes a community meeting and a public hearing, begins today. 

The community meeting will be held on March 11, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. at the Lee High School Cafeteria, 6540 Franconia Road, Springfield, VA. The community meeting format will include information on the history of the school name and the process to collect community input. Community members will be asked to work in small groups to discuss and write their thoughts on whether the school should be renamed or provide suggestions for a new school name. The feedback will be collected at the end of the meeting, transcribed and posted online. It will be shared with the School Board and the Superintendent.

The School Board Public Hearing is scheduled for March 18, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. at Jackson Middle School, 3020 Gallows Road, Falls Church, VA. If you would like to speak at the public hearing, sign up will open on March 4. Sign up to speak. 

Community members can also share their input by emailing comments to [email protected].

Once the public comment period has ended, the School Board will take action on whether or not to change the name of Lee High School.  If the School Board approves the action, the Superintendent will bring a recommendation to the School Board on a new name(s) for the school at a future meeting. If the School Board does not approve action, the process will end. 

We invite you to attend the community meeting and public hearing to provide your input. We will keep you updated throughout the process. Information about the renaming process is also available online. 

Sincerely, 
Nardos King, Ed.D.
Assistant Superintendent
Region 3