A new middle school located in Lake Nona, Florida is set to open its doors to students this August amid a looming controversy. Parents are demanding that the Innovation Park Middle School change its name. They are upset because of its "disgusting" acronym: IPMS.
It was officials of the school board who picked out the name for IPMS. They apparently compromised between Innovation Way and Moss Park, two popular sites around the school's location, according to CNN.
What's making matter worse is that the school's chosen color is red. Parents said they cannot imagine their children wearing red school shirts with the letters IPMS printed on it for inter-school competitions.
"They just don't want to be ridiculed or be made fun of from other students from other schools," a parent, Christal Feldman, told Click Orlando. "They're trying to find themselves and middle schoolers can be harsh and mean and we're already seeing it at the elementary stage, so the middle school level it's going to be even worse," she added.
Feldman is one of the people actively seeking the IPMS name change. So far, 302 people have signed the petition on Change.Org.
Daryl Flynn, a member of the school board who suggested the names, confirmed receiving a deluge of emails from parents demanding a name change. Flynn said the controversial issue "puts a pall on what should be an exciting time for a new school," as per Orlando Sentinel.
Flynn also said she did not notice the name's association with premenstrual syndrome (PMS). "We feel the abbreviation of the proposed name - IPMS (Innovation Park Middle School) is a potential disgrace and embarrassment to the students, faculty and school board of Orange County," the petition read.
The school board has reconvened to discuss the name change Tuesday following the outrage from parents. It's likely that the new name will be revealed in the first week of April.
