In July 2014 The News Leader received a letter to the editor that suggested renaming Robert E. Lee High School; The majority of the newspaper's editorial board and key employees agreed and suggested possible names. – Statement by the majority opinion of the newspaper editorial board as well as three key employees: the publisher and president, the executive editor, and the editor of community conversations; the latter three were, respectively, Roger Watson, David Fritz, and Deona Landes Huff. In August 2017, in the wake of the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, the editorial board stated that it may be "tougher" to keep the school named after Lee. – Statement by the majority opinion of the newspaper editorial board as well as three key employees: the president, the executive editor, and the news director; the latter three were, respectively, Roger Watson, David Fritz, and William Ramsey. In October 2018, after months of debate, as well as "focus groups and community listening sessions" conducted by the Virginia Center For Inclusive Communities, the Staunton School Board voted 4–2 in favor of renaming the school. The next month, following a public survey with over 4,000 submissions, it was decided the school would return to its original name, Staunton High School. The change took effect on July 1, 2019.
