Changes

On [[February 4]], [[1976]], an impromptu school election was held in which students were allowed to vote to either keep the name as "Raiders" or change the name back to "Rebels." The students who preferred "Rebels" failed to secure a [[Wikipedia:supermajority|supermajority]] needed to win the ballot. White students complained the vote was "unfair" because there had not been enough advance notice. The vote was held on senior skip day, resulting in a large number of students being absent from school that day for the vote.

In the weeks that followed, however, crosses were burned on many school board members' yards. One school board , with one member, who was black, was specifically targeted with a gunshot which went through his window. [[Teresa Hunt]], A human relations board member of the [[Pensacola-Escambia Human Relations Committee]] and the school board's [[Citizens Advisory Committee]], was called by telephone to a special meeting on [[February 21]], which turned out to be a hoax, and when she returned her house had been set ablaze.<ref>"Fire damages woman's home." ''Boca Raton News'', February 23, 1976.</ref> Likewise for as well as a state legislatoralso had their homes torched. [5] After all the retaliatory violence both at the school and in the community, members from the Florida National Guard was called in Highway Patrol and numerous local law enforcement agencies combined to patrol the school until the end of the year. While waiting for a final determination from the courts and the school board; the student body selected the nickname "Patriots" to be used at school sponsored events during the 1976–77 academic year. In the fall spring of 19761977, after hearing the courts final decision that "Rebels" was not to be reinstated the students chose the name "Gators" after a second ballot was deemed necessaryas the permanent nickname. On [[July 26]]13, [[1977]], the [[Ku Klux Klan]] held a rally on (KKK) petitioned the school grounds with regards Escambia County School Board to the issue, which necessitated hold a reorganization of the school boardmeeting at Escambia High School. The name "Gators" has been used for Escambia High's athletic teams sinceSchool Student Body president, John Davis, without incidentsuccessfully argued against the petition before the board.[6] The board voted 5-1 against the petition.