Virginia school board restores names of Confederate leaders to schools

Measure reversed board's 2020 decision to change the names of schools that had been linked to Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee and Turner Ashby

By Joseph Weber

Published: May 10, 2024 2:21pm

Updated: May 10, 2024 5:58pm

A Virginia school board on Friday approved a proposal to restore the names of Confederate military leaders at two public schools.

The measure reversed the board's 2020 decision to change the names of schools that had been linked to Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee and Turner Ashby – three men who led the pro-slavery Southern states during the Civil War, according to NBC News.

Mountain View High School will go back to the name Stonewall Jackson High School. Honey Run Elementary School will go back to the name Ashby-Lee Elementary School.

The 2020 decision came amid numerous, similar ones after the death of George Floyd, a black male, by a white police officer, which fueled a national discussion on race.

The change Friday in Virginia was made by the school board in the state's Shenandoah County.

The effort was led by the conservative group Coalition for Better Schools, which petitioned school officials to reinstate the names.

“We believe that revisiting this decision is essential to honor our community’s heritage and respect the wishes of the majority,” the coalition wrote, according to a copy posted online.