Palmetto School Renamed Lincoln Memorial Middle School

PALMETTO, FL — The School Board of Manatee County unanimously approved the name Lincoln Memorial Middle School for the middle school in Palmetto formerly known as Lincoln Memorial Academy Tuesday night, the district said in a news release.

Lincoln Memorial Academy previously operated as a charter school. Since it’s no longer operating as a charter school, the Florida Department of Education required a new Master School Identification number be established and a new name selected, the district said.

“The names Lincoln and Lincoln Memorial have a proud history in Manatee County education as they were names of schools for black students for generations before desegregation came to Manatee District schools in the late 1960s,” the district said. “Graduates and former students of Lincoln Memorial High School still hold reunions and celebrate their days wearing their blue and gray school colors in support of their teams nicknamed the Trojans.”

Lincoln Memorial Academy opened in 2018 on the former campus of Lincoln Memorial High School but was returned to the Manatee School district in 2019 after an investigation showed “systemic dysfunction” at the school. This included unpaid bills and teachers not receiving paychecks, 10 Tampa Bay reported.

Like what you're reading? Invite a friend to subscribe to free Bradenton newsletters and real-time email alerts.

In March, the school board approved the establishment of a medical magnet program at the new school, the Bradenton Herald reported.

The naming process for the new school, now under the district’s control, began April 15 of this year when the public was asked to submit suggestions. Name nominations for the school began being collected during two live events held April 22. One was a virtual event, the other held in person simultaneously at the Lincoln campus, the district said.

The district received 126 name nominations during the submission period, which ran April 22 to June 22. Of these nominations, 58 were submitted for the name Lincoln Memorial Middle School, the district said.

“We have had plenty of opportunity to hear from the community, and they have spoken very loudly to support Lincoln Memorial Middle School,” Chairman Charlie Kennedy said, according to the Bradenton Herald.