TAKE: LIVE
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WE BEGIN WITH BREAKING NEWS
THIS EVENING...THE TYLER I-S-D
SCHOOL BOARD HAS JUST
ANNOUNCED THAT THEY HAVE VOTED
TO CHANGE THE NAME OF BOTH
HIGH SCHOOLS.ROBERT E LEE AND
JOHN TYLER.WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING
AT ARE LIVE IMAGES FROM
OUTSIDE THE JIM PLYLER COMPLEX
YOU CAN HEAR THE CHANTING-----
A CALL FOR CHANGE... WHILE
INSIDE. THE SCHOOL BOARD FOR
HOURS NOW HAS LISTENED TO THE
PUBLIC COMMENTS,BOTH IN
SUPPORT OF A NEW NAME AND
THOSE WHO WANT THE NAMES TO
REMAIN THE SAME. AND IT SEEMS
LIKE A REPLAY OF WHAT WE SAW
IN the SUMMER OF 2018,BUT AS
WE JUST TOLD YOU,THEY HAVE
MADE
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GOOD EVENING AND THANK YOU FOR
JOINING US THISBUSY THURSDAY
NIGHT.
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Trent Bennett:THIS EVENING, WE
TO SPENT MORE THAN AN HOUR
LISTENING TO PUBLIC COMMENTS...
REGARDING THE POSSIBLE NAME
CHANGE OF OUR TWO TYLER HIGH
SCHOOLS.JUST MOMENTS AGO, THE
SCHOOL BOARD UNANIMOUSLY VOTED
TO CHANGE THE NAME OF BOTH
SCHOOLS. WE TURN TO FOX51'S
KARAH RUCKER.. KARAH YOU'VE
HEARD EVERYTHING SAID SO FAR
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Karah Rucker:TRENT...THIS IS
HUGE NEWS FOR THE SCHOOL
DISTRICT, FOR THE CITY, and
for the history of tyler.
THERE WERE ABOUT 50 PEOPLE WHO
TOOK TO THE PODIUM TO EXPRESS
THEIR CONCERNSOVER
KEEPING...OR CHANGING...THE
NAMES OF TYLER HIGH SCHOOLS.
THE BOARD...LEFT WITH A HEAVY
DECISION TO MAKE.But with a
unanimous vote,both school
names
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TAKE VOHERE'S A LOOK INSIDE
TONIGHT'S MEETING.YOU'LL SEE
DIFFERENT MEMBERS OF THE
COMMUNITY TAKING THEIR STANCE.
EACH PERSON WHO SIGNED UP TO
VOICE THEIR OPINION WAS GIVEN
A MINUTE TWENTY SECONDS AT THE
MICROPHONE.THIS INCLUDES
CURRENT STUDENTS, ALUMNI, CITY
LEADERS, AND OTHER CITIZENS.IT
TOOK A LITTLE MORE THAN ONE
HOUR...AS THE BOARD QUIETELY
LISTENED....AND THANKED EACH
SPEAKER FOR THEIR TIME.THERE
WERE SEVERAL MEMORABLE MOMENTS.
AND WE'LL HEAR FROM BOTH SIDES
NOW.
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TAKE SOTTO: 0:30DURATION:0:30I
would like to express my
concern.........the seats
you're sitting in right now
are not meant to be a place
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of comfort but a place of
change."TAKE: CONT VOAFTER
PUBLIC COMMENT...THE TYLER ISD
SUPERINTENDENT ADDRESSED THE
WIDE-CONCERN OVER COST.HOW
MUCH MONEY WOULD IT ACTUALLY
TAKE TO CHANGE THE NAMES...AND
WOULD TAXPAYERS HAVE TO PAY
FOR IT?HE SAYS THIS WILL NOT
BE AN EASY PROCESS...ááIF A
NAME CHANGE TAKES PLACE.
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TAKE SOTTO: 0:19DURATION:0:19
"this is a hard project...this
is not an easy task."TAKE:
CONT VO
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THE BOARD HAS SPENT THE PAST
TWO HOURS DISCUSSING THE
COSTS...AND THEY CONTINUE
GOING OVER THE NUMBERS
NOW...AND WHAT'S ALREADY IN
THE ALLOCATED BUDGET TO
PREVENT A BURDEN TO TAX PAYERS.
THE ARCHITECTURE WOULD BE THE
HEFTIEST COST...AS SOME PARTS
OF THE NEWLY RENOVATED HIGH
SCHOOLS WOULD HAVE TO BE
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Karah Rucker:AS WE CONTINUE TO
FOLLOWING THIS DEVELOPING
STORY... LOG ONTO OUR WEBSITE
FOX 51 DOT COM FOR THE LATEST.
I'M REPORTING LIVE IN STUDIO
KARAH NEWS.
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TAKE: OPEN
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Trent Bennett:CONTINUING NOW
WITH TEAM COVERAGE....WE ARE
NOW HEADING TO THE SCENE.
WHERE HUNDREDS SHOWED UP THIS
EVENING, EXPRESSING THEIR
CONCERNS AND THEIR OPINONS ON
WHAT SHOULD BE DONE. FOX 51-'S
MYE OWENS JOINS US LIVE FROM
WHERE THE SCHOOL BOARD MET
JUST MOMENTS AGO.. ?
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Mye Owens:TRENT...AS WE HEARD
EMOTIONAL STATEMENTS INSIDE
THE MEETING...THINGS GOT
HEATED OUT HERE...PEOPLE FROM
BOTH SIDES OF THE ISSUE
WANTING THE NAME CHANGE AND
OTHERS WANTING TO KEEP THE
NAME THEY GREW UP KNOWING. BUT
I WANT YOU TO LISTEN AS THAT
FINAL DECISION TO CHANGE THE
NAME
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TAKE VO
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áááNATáááTHE SOUND OF A VERY
HAPPY CROWD TONIGHT....AFTER
STANDING OUTSIDE FOR HOPING
THE TYLER ISD SCHOOL BOARD
WILL HEAR THEM OUTSIDE. WHILE
THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE CAME IN
SUPPORT FOR CHANGING THE
NAME...THERE WERE THOSE WHO IN
FAVOR OF KEEPING THE NAME.
ALUMNI...HOLDING SIGNS IN
SUPPORT OF THE SCHOOL THEY
GREW UP TO KNOW AND LOVE.
WHILE THOSE YOU WERE IN
SUPPORT OF KEEPING THE
ORIGINAL NAMES WERE OUT HERE.
THEY LEFT BEFORE THE BIG
ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE....BUT
WE HAD A CHANCE TO SPEAK WITH
THEM EARLIER THIS EVENING
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TAKE SOT
3
"abrielle Jackson,
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current student REL.
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Mye Owens:
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Trent Bennett THE TOPIC OF
RENAMING BOTH TYLER SCHOOLS
WAS BROUGHT UP DURING AN
ONLINE FORUM LAST NIGHT .
LOCAL LEADERS LISTENED TO
INPUT FROM A NATIONAL GROUP--
"TRANSFORM NETWORK."GUESTS
INCLUDED REVEREND ROBERT W.
LEE...GENERAL LEE'S
GREAT-NEPHEW.HERE'S ONE OF THE
BIGGEST POINTS HE WANTED TO
EMPHASIZE,TO TYLER I-S-D BOARD
MEMBERS.
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TAKE SOTRev. Robert W. Lee,
General Lee's great-nephew,
11:07-11:37now is not a time
to shrink back, now is not a
time to really say this isn't
my issue, this isn't our time.
people are waiting for
rain..it's raining hard kinda
thing.. We have prepared for
this and we know the history
that needs to be told, we have
to abandon the lost cause. And
I say this especially for a
place like tyler texas,
because it's in an education
environment. TAKE: CONT VOHE
ALSO ADDED--ON A BROADER
SCALE...IT'S TIME TO REMOVE
THE STATUTES,NOT JUST THE
PHYSICAL STATUES.
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Trent Bennett:NOW LET'S HEAR
FROM SOME ROBERT E. LEE ALUMNI.
MEMBERS OF THE GRADUATING
CLASS OF 19-61.WHEN THE SCHOOL
WAS DEEPLY ROOTED IN OUR
COMMUNITY. TAKE VOTHIS
YEARBOOK PHOTO OF THE CIVIL
WAR CLUB IS 60 YEARS OLD.
DURING THIS TIME....THE SCHOOL
SYSTEM IN TEXAS WAS
SEGREGATED.. AND THE
CONFEDERATE FLAG WAS A SYMBOL
FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. THESE
TWO MEN ARE NOW IN THEIR 70'S.
ALONG WITH A THIRD CLASSMATE...
THEY RECENTLY SENT THIS LETTER
TO THE SCHOOL BOARD, URGING A
NAME CHANGE.IT READS IN PART,
THE NAME ROBERT E. LEE WAS
SELECTED FOR THE NEW HIGH
SCHOOL IN A SYSTEMATIC EFFORT
TO AVOID DESEGREGATION.
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TAKE SOT"I think it takes some
courage to speak out
especially in Tyler, and I
hope that the names change it
will represent a kind of a
change in the heart of the
community, " "my father was on
the school board when the
school was named,"
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"i think there's some strong
feeling by many people that
Trent Bennett:TAKE: CONT VO
BOTH MEN SAY...WHEN CURRENT
STUDENT AND CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER "TRUDE LAMB"...MADE
HEADLINES FOR REFUSING TO WEAR
HER JERSEY,IT PROVIDED THE
PERFECT PLATFORM TO SAY
GOODBYE TO THE NAME ROBERT E
LEE FOR GOOD.
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Trent Bennett:AND SPEAKING OF
TRUDE LAMB...SHE HAS BEEN VERY
OUTSPOKEN IN HER SUPPORT FOR
CHANGING THE NAME,VOWING TO
NOT PARTICIPATE IN ATHLETICS
THIS YEAR IF NOTHING IS DONE.
HERE'S HER MESSAGE TO THE
BOARD.
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OUTCUE: DIVIDE US ALL.TO: 1:35
DURATION:1:33"mr. chairman and
member os the board. My name
is trude lamb and I sent you a
letter stating that I would no
longer wear the robert e lee
as an athlete or as a student.
That letter generated national
support for a name change. Now
the world is watching and
waiting for your response. As
myself and other black
students have waited on you to
make a decision on the name
change, the violence and
racism of our white peers has
given room for them to show
their true colors. The
comments i'm about to share
with you are just a few
examples of backlash from
racists in our school and
community that I have
received. 'she's black. You
can't blame her because she's
not as smart as our white
supremecy self.' 'no more
blackies' 'hey, we're not
taking any áááá from those n-
words. I'm bringing an fáááááá
knife next year.'members of
the board, I am just one of
thousands of black students in
the tyler isd family, and none
of us should have a different
experience in school or life
because of the color of our
skin. Be on the right side of
history tonight. Do the right
thing tonight. But please, do
not stop there. Be the same
leaders you ask and teach us
to be. Be the leaders we need
right now. And push for a
conversation for removing all
symbols in tyler that feed
racism and divide us
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Trent Bennett:VERY POWERFUL
WORDS FROM SUCH A YOUNG WOMAN.
THAT POSSIBLY HELPED THE
SCHOOL BOARD DECISION TONIGHT,
JUST MINUTES AGO.
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Trent Bennett:JOINING ME IN
THE STUDIO NOW...ARE TWO
GRADUATES OF TYLER I-S-D
SCHOOLS,OUTSPOKEN ON BOTH
SIDES OF THE ISSUE.BOTH SIDES
OF THE ISSUE.
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PASTOR RICKER GARNER FROM
BETHEL BIBLE HOPE CHURCH IS A
JOHN TYLER GRAD,AND APRIL
CHENNAULT WAS A 19-85 GRAD OF
ROBERT E LEE.THANK YOU BOTH
FOR JOINING US.FIRST, WE WANT
TO GET YOUR REACTION JUST
BROKE.THE NAMES WILL BE
CHANGED.
3
TAKE: LIVEFIRST LET'S START
WITH HEARING FIRST LET'S START
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FIRST LET'S START
3
WITH HEARING
3
BOTH SIDES.
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TAKE: LIVE"I was out there and
when the news came in minutes
ago, it was a good feeling.
This says a lot about the
direction the school board
wants us to go. it
a great
feeling.""i'm disappointed in
the lack of courage our board
showed. we past a bond that
was passed, with no mention on
the name change. if that had
been in the bond, it would not
have passed. this opens them
up to a lawsuit. we should
never let outsiders determine
what we do for our city. i
think it should have TAKE: LIVE
"I was out there and when the
news came in minutes ago, it
was a good feeling. This says
a lot about the direction the
school board wants us to go.
it
a great feeling.""i'm
disappointed in the lack of
courage our board showed. we
past a bond that was passed,
with no mention on the name
change. if that had been in
the bond, it would not have
passed. this opens them up to
a lawsuit. we should never let
outsiders determine what we do
for our city. i think it
should have TAKE: LIVE"I was
out there and when the news
came in minutes ago, it was a
good feeling. This says a lot
about the direction the school
board wants us to go. it
a
great feeling.""i'm
disappointed in the lack of
courage our board showed. we
past a bond that was passed,
with no mention on the name
change. if that had been in
the bond, it would not have
passed. this opens them up to
a lawsuit. we should never let
outsiders determine what we do
for our city. i TAKE: LIVE"I
was out there and when the
news came in minutes ago, it
was a good feeling. This says
a lot about the direction the
school board wants us to go.
it
a great feeling.""i'm
disappointed in the lack of
courage our board showed. we
past a bond that was passed,
with no mention on the name
change. if that had been in
the bond, it would not have
passed. this opens them up to
a lawsuit. we should never let
outsiders determine what we do
for our city. i think it
should have been voted on by
the tax payers."
3
TAKE: LIVE"I was out there and
when the news came in minutes
ago, it was a good feeling.
This says a lot about the
direction the school board
wants us to go. it
a great
feeling.""i'm disappointed in
the lack of courage our board
showed. we past a bond that
was passed, with no mention on
the name change. if that had
been in the bond, it would not
have passed. this opens them
up to a lawsuit. we should
never let outsiders determine
what we do for our city. i
think it should have been
voted on by the tax payers.""i
think it is a glorious day for
us. i know a lot of people who
are not outsiders, lee and
john tyler graduates who
wanted this. i think this was
the will of the people and
something they were in favor
of. when this was raised in
2018, john tyler was not on
the table. everyone's excited.
i'm sad i wasn't out TAKE: LIVE
"I was out there and when the
news came in minutes ago, it
was a good feeling. This says
a lot about the direction the
school board wants us to go.
it
a great feeling.""i'm
disappointed in the lack of
courage our board showed. we
past a bond that was passed,
with no mention on the name
change. if that had been in
the bond, it would not have
passed. this opens them up to
a lawsuit. we should never let
outsiders determine what we do
for our city. i think it
should have been voted on by
the tax payers.""i think it is
a glorious day for us. i know
a lot of people who are not
outsiders, lee and john tyler
graduates who wanted this. i
think this was the will of the
people and something they were
in favor of. when this was
raised in 2018, john tyler was
not on the table. everyone's
excited. i'm sad i wasn't out
there to celebrate."TAKE: LIVE
"I was out there and when the
news came in minutes ago, it
was a good feeling. This says
a lot about the direction the
school board wants us to go.
it
a great feeling.""i'm
disappointed in the lack of
courage our board showed. we
past a bond that was passed,
with no mention on the name
change. if that had been in
the bond, it would not have
passed. this opens them up to
a lawsuit. we should never let
outsiders determine what we do
for our city. i think it
should have been voted on by
the tax payers.""i think it is
a glorious day for us. i know
a lot of people who are not
outsiders, lee and john tyler
graduates who wanted this. i
think this was the will of the
people and something they were
in favor of. when this was
raised in 2018, john tyler was
not on the table. everyone's
excited. i'm sad i wasn't out
there to celebrate."