HANOVER COUNTY, Va. -- Weeks after signage at Lee-Davis High School and Stonewall Jackson Middle School was removed from the Hanover County schools named in honor of Confederate figures, the school board announced the signs would be re-installed -- albeit temporarily.
"Under the directive of the Hanover County School Board, school division staff will be temporarily re-installing the primary signage at Lee-Davis High School and Stonewall Jackson Middle School for a brief period of time while school division administration works through the transition process for renaming the schools," Hanover Schools spokesperson Chris Whitley wrote in an email. "The names and changing of the names at each school have been an extremely sensitive issue to many Hanoverians. The School Board recognizes that those who find the names offensive would like them removed immediately and those who are not offended by the names would have liked them to remain longer. Just as there is an ongoing process for determining the new names of these schools, the School Board is asking staff to present a formalized process for the removal of the current names that includes signage and various articles located throughout the schools and campuses."
The signs were removed in July, days after the School Board voted 4-3 to rename the schools originally named after leaders of the Confederacy.
"In response to the School Board’s action taken during the July 14th meeting, staff will present a plan to the School Board at the August 11th meeting to address the various aspects of the school name removal activities and the process for updating facilities to reflect the change in names," Whitley's email continued. "The committees assigned to bring a new name recommendation to the School Board for each school are currently being formed. The School Board plans to vote on the new names for both schools at the October 2020 meeting."
This is a developing story.
The committees assigned to bring a new name recommendation to the School Board for each school are currently being formed. The School Board plans to vote on the new names for both schools at the October 2020 meeting.
