LAKELAND, Fla. — A Lakeland mom says Spessard L. Holland Elementary School is named after a man who supported segregation in schools and she’s asking Polk County School District to address it.

What You Need To Know

  • A Lakeland parent is speaking out about the name of Spessard Holland Elementary School

  • Stephanie Buck says while Holland is remembered as a Florida Governor and for proposing the 24th amendment, he also voted against notable desegregation bills and opposed the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education

  • The Polk County School district says a formal complaint has not been brought to them and add that any potential name change to a school must go through district policy

Spessard Holland was an attorney who later went on to become the 28th Governor of Florida. Holland was a very influential man, notably proposing the 24th amendment, which prohibited any kind of poll tax.

However, Holland also voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Right Act in 1965. Reiterating his stance on segregation, he also opposed the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education; which is why some feel their kid’s school should not be named after him.

“It doesn’t represent all the kids,” said Stephanie Buck. She is a researcher and mother of biracial children.

“Spessard Holland did not believe that all kids should be together and that they should have integration,” said Buck. “Spessard Holland Elementary School represents 55% minority students. Everybody deserves to know why that name is being plastered on their t-shirts.”

Buck said she plans to use, what she calls, her privilege to educate people on their communities history and sent the below outline to the district:

Spectrum News reached out to Polk County School district for a response and received the following:

"This email was just brought to our attention this week. To our knowledge no formal complaint about the school’s name has been brought before PCPS or the elected members of the Polk County School Board.

There is a specific process for changing a school’s name, as outlined in district policy.   

It includes: No existing facility will be renamed unless the request to do so comes from the community, the students or their families, the school’s faculty or other community interest groups. The Board is responsible for the final determination of whether a school facility will be renamed.

Upon the receipt of enough requests sufficient to indicate community interest in the renaming of an existing facility, the Assistant Superintendent for Facilities and Operations will notify the Board and request authorization to organize an EFNC (Educational Facilities Naming Committee) and begin the process of scheduling a public meeting. Should the committee fail to approve a name by majority vote, the name of the facility will remain unchanged and new requests will not be considered for a period of one (1) year from the date of the last meeting held.

As a public school system PCPS is proud to serve all students and families of Polk County. The diversity of our students and workforce is a strength of this district, and we have dedicated ourselves to ensuring that everyone here has opportunity to succeed."