NEW ORLEANS — Lusher Charter School, one of the most sought after public schools in the city by families, has agreed to change its name from one that honored a Civil War era state superintendent of education who was a staunch segregationist.
NOLA.com reports that the school’s board voted 5-0 to change the name to The Willow School, a nod to the street where the school started in 1917 and where the elementary school is still housed.
The move to change the school had simmered over the years but a big push came in the summer of 2020 following the death of George Floyd by police officers that elicited protest marches around the country, including one of Lusher students on July 4 of that year. The school had dropped Robert Mills from most references of its name over the years, simply using Lusher School.
Lusher is one of the highest performing schools in the state of Louisiana and annually holds a lottery to determine some of its admission spots. The school grew to include a middle school in the 1990s and a high school after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.