JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A group of students is prepared to call on the Duval County School Board Tuesday evening, asking the board to rename Nathan B. Forrest High School.

The students claim Forrest's ties to the Ku Klux Klan, which Forrest later broke off, is the reason the Westside high school should be given a new name.

Forrest was a renowned Confederate general whose war tactics are still studied today. He was also the first grand wizard of the KKK, and currently the namesake of a school made up mostly of minority students.

Located off 103rd Street near Interstate 295, Nathan B. Forrest High School's name has been in place for decades and has withstood prior calls for change.

Even history experts have conflicting thoughts on Forrest and the idea of changing the name of the school named after him.

"He was a southern patriot and he deserves to have something named after him, like Lee or Jackson -- they are all patriots. They are all good Americans, and I think they all got a bum rap on the slavery issue," said historian Al Wasdin.

Professor of history at the University of North Florida Aaron Sheehan-Dean said Forrest is remembered for three key issues: "He was a slave trader before the Civil War. He was a very effective Calvary leader for the Confederacy during the Civil War. And then after the Civil War, he was involved in the early stages of the Ku Klux Klan.

Forrest was noted for being very effective military leader who had little military training. Channel 4's Jim Piggott reported his leadership tends to be what people who celebrate Forrest focus on.

Forrest's involvement with the KKK is often the fact that gains the most attention. There's no disagreement that he was the first grand wizard. However, where history becomes somewhat sketch, and where there is plenty of disagreement, is when and how he left the Klan.

Those who support Forrest argue that he got out of the KKK when it turned violent.

"He was a good, moral man," Wasdin said.

However, others claim it doesn't matter that Forrest stepped down.

"The whole purpose of the Klan was designed to protect the old order the Civil War had overturned. So, it's problematic either way you look at it," Sheehan-Dean said.

The Duval County School Board is expected to hear the arguments of people for and against the school's name change at a 6 p.m. meeting, and later decide whether to further consider the idea.