A majority of students at John B. Hood Middle School voted to drop the Confederate general’s name from their school.

The kids took the vote Friday to determine whether to move forward with efforts to remove the name from the campus. About 61 percent of the students voted for the change, which will require final approval from the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees.

The process was initiated after some students voiced concern to a teacher about the name and asked that it be changed.

LaTonya Lockhart, Hood’s principal, said she wanted to let the students make the decision of whether to move forward with changing the name. She called it a lesson in democracy.

But not everyone was happy with the process. Lockhart said that she’s heard from former students who feel that John B. Hood was a great man and they don’t want the name changed. She said that she plans to have an area set aside for memorabilia honoring the school’s history.

Kids at the Pleasant Grove school had varying opinions on the issue Friday. They filled out their ballots during their lunch period. Some readily marked their ballots, while others thought about it briefly or consulted with friends before making a decision.

Younger students in sixth grade seemed more willing to rid the school of the name, complaining that it’s tied to someone who fought for slavery in the Civil War.

“Since it had to do with a bad man who worked with the Confederacy, I think we should change it,” said sixth-grader Nidia Hernandez, 12. “He wanted to keep slaves.”

But some eighth graders who have been at the school longer spoke of wanting to keep it because of tradition.

“He was a confederate soldier. What he did everybody knows it was bad, but why change history,” said eighth-grader Cristina Ramirez, 13.

The vote tally broke down like this by grade level:

Eighth grade: yes- 48 percent; no – 51 percent

Seventh grade: yes – 68 percent; no – 31 percent

Sixth grade: yes – 66 percent; no – 34 percent

Dallas ISD trustee Bernadette Nutall, whose area includes Hood, supports the name change. She said that she’s proud of the kids for being a part of the process.

“I think it’s an excellent civics lesson for our children, and the kids have spoken,” Nutall said. “This is democracy.”

Hood opened in 1955 and today serves about 1,000 students. The student body is 84 percent Hispanic, 15 percent black and less than 1 percent white.

Lockhart said some kids had a second concern with the name because it includes the word “hood.” She said that some people poke fun at the name because it is in Pleasant Grove, which some consider as being in “the hood.”

Lockhart said the kids will pick up packets Monday to nominate someone for the school to be named for. She also plans to seek community input and follow board policy to change the name.

That policy requires that recommendations for the renaming of facilities be received from the school community involved, including at least one member of the school’s site-based decision making committee made up of parents, professional staff and community members; a member of the school’s PTA; and a member of the administration.

The proposal must be submitted before April 1 each calendar year. Trustees review renaming proposals in early May, with a vote taking place in June.

Some kids were happy to have a say in the matter.

“I’m happy that people are kind of giving us a chance to voice our opinion,” said eighth-grader Sarah Woods, 13. “I’m very proud of our principal because she gives us a choice. Our voice can be heard.”

Majority of students vote to rename Dallas school named for Confederate general | | Dallas Morning News