ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A new school in Lake Nona is months away from opening, but some parents are pushing for the name to be changed.
The school is called Innovation Park Middle School, but the school's initial—IPMS—are making people laugh.
Parents worry students will be embarrassed to sport the initials.
The school is set to open in a couple of months and it was designed to be a relief school for Lake Nona Middle School, but when officials considered the school's name, they didn’t think about the initials.
Christal Feldman and another parent started an online petition to change the name for an orange county school.
The school is under construction and set to open in August.
School board members voted last month to name it Innovation Park Middle School.
“Just having the word, the initials 'IPMS' across any athletic uniform, cheerleading uniform, having to say the initials out loud,” said Feldman.
Feldman worries students might be teased.
“They're embarrassed. They want to be proud of their school name,” she said.
Board member Daryl Flynn admitted she suggested the name, but said she was more focused on considering survey results from parents.
Top picks from the community included Innovation Middle School and Moss Park Middle School.
“I wanted to have a name that was inclusive of all the communities, and decrease any kind of confusion there might be with other schools in the community,” said Flynn.
Board members will consider a new name next month and they'll pay extra attention to its initials.
“We’ll review the names that were directly submitted by the community, and certainly Innovation Middle School is one of those names,” Flynn said.
School board members will consider changing the school's name at the next meeting on April 4.
Cox Media Group
