Trustees in Port Arthur Independent School District are set to discuss renaming Robert E. Lee and Dick Dowling elementary schools during an upcoming board meeting.

The board will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday at the administration building.

“We understand there may be some concerns from our community,” Superintendent Mark Porterie said. “The board wants to hear these concerns and we welcome any suggestions.”

Porterie said the issue of Confederate memorials and monuments is not only a national topic of discussion but a local one as well. Robert E. Lee was a general for the Confederate Army and Dick Dowling was a Confederate commander at the Second Battle of Sabine Pass during the Civil War.

The topic of discussion also brings forth a teaching moment of sorts. Should the names of the school be changed, students still need to know what occurred in history.

“We have to ensure our students understand why voting is important. So many lost their lives for the right to vote,” he said. “They need to know why education is so important. Once upon a time African Americans weren’t allowed to be educated or be able to read and write. Students need to know and to understand how we go to this point in history.”

Through the years there has been an African-American president, Barack Obama. There is the first Latina Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor. These accomplishments didn’t happen overnight.

“We have to know where we came from in order to go forward,” he said. “As to what we’re dealing with in this country today, it’s imperative we know our history. It’s more important today to know what transpired.”