POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – There's been a recent push to change school mascots considered derogatory toward specific groups of people. One New York school district went even further.

Three Poughkeepsie city schools have been renamed after Latino and African American pioneers.

The Poughkeepsie city school board announced Samuel F.B. Morse elementary is now Sojourner Truth elementary; Governor George Clinton elementary changed to Roberto Clemente elementary; and the Christopher Columbus school became the Jane Bolin Elementary School.

Poughkeepsie parent Diamond Mimah said her youngest daughter attended Sojourner Truth Elementary in the past, and is now looking forward to the progress. 

“I think it’s amazing," Mimah said. "I think the board of education and our superintendent have done a great job in catching up to the times.”

While some residents were in favor of these changes, others opposed it.

Samiya Osage is a second-grade student at Roberto Clemente Elementary School. She said she prefered to keep her school's name the way it was. 

“I don’t want it to change," Osage said. "I like my school name."

Poughkeepsie city school board president Fatimah Martinez Santiago said the name changes were a collaborative effort among board members, alumni, parents and Dutchess County residents.

“I think the initiative that we took on of changing our building names was really critical," Martinez Santiago said. "That was because community members stepped forward expressing concerns for our building names... (one of the concerns was) the name Morse was after someone who was a slaveowner and also endorsed slavery.”

While community input was taken into consideration by the board, Martinez Santiago said the ultimate goal is for students to feel valued.

“It’s important that if there are in fact building names that cause harm, meanwhile, there are folks in our community that feel that the history is very profound," Martinez Santiago said. "Nevertheless, we don’t want individuals that have literally caused harm to others."

In order for the signage on the three schools to be updated, Santiago Martinez said the board is waiting for final approval from the state Education Department.