SHENANDOAH, Va. — The Shenandoah County School Board voted to restore the names of Confederate leaders at two schools in the county.
Public comment on the move made the meeting stretch into the early morning hours of Friday. The board voted just after midnight. The board voted 5-1 to revert back to the old names following a request from the group Coalition for Better Schools.
In 2020, the school board changed Stonewall Jackson High School to Mountain View High School and Ashby Lee Elementary School to Honey Run Elementary School.
Supporters of the rename to Confederate generals accused the school board in 2020 of failing to follow proper protocols by claiming it was rushed without proper public input.
Former school board chair Karen Whetzel told WUSA9 the day after the vote that concerns over the name have been happening well before 2020. She said the school system received feedback from students and staff for a year.
"We did our best," Whetzel said. "It was a trying time during the pandemic. I think we did the right thing. I'm disappointed that it'll be changed. I think it will be taking Shenandoah County Public Schools backwards and not forward."
The one school board member who voted against reversing course was Kyle Gutshall. In a statement to WUSA9, Gutshall said he gathered extensive input from the community.
"After carefully considering a multitude of factors, I believe I made the right decision and hope our school system can move forward," Gutshall said.
The community testified for hours during the meeting held at Peter Muhlenberg Middle School in Woodstock.
"Everyone is going to think that we're racist rednecks. And that's not OK," one speaker said.
Another said they just did not like the new names chosen.
"I don't like the name Mountain View. It's too generic and it's boring," she said. "And Honey Run sounds like the name of a moonshine operation."
“I'm offended personally by naming schools after Confederate generals,” resident and Shenandoah Co. Democratic Committee Chair Brad Skipper added. “I find it reprehensible and appalling and stunned that here in 2024, we have a group of people who thinks that's OK.”
On April 3, the coalition sent another letter that claimed a survey it conducted found an overwhelming number of community members supported reversing the names back to the names of Confederate generals.
“We understand that the decision to rename these schools was made in response to discussions surrounding Confederate symbols,” the letter said. “However, we believe that revisiting this decision is essential to honor our community’s heritage and respect the wishes of the majority.”
RELATED: Virginia school board to vote whether to reverse school names originally named after Confederates
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