RICHMOND, Va. -- The Hanover County School Board will move forward to have an appointed committee consider renaming the school that will consolidate Henry Clay and John Gandy Elementary after concerns were raised by community members about a name change.
The board unanimously voted to move forward to create a committee that will be made up of a person selected by each board member.
Parents, teachers, and community members packed Tuesday night's school board meeting to discuss the issue.
The new, combined school is being built on the site of Gandy Elementary, which was a school built for Black students during the time of segregation.
The school was named for John M. Gandy, a son of slaves, who rose to become the third president of Virginia State University.
Back in 2018, the then-school board agreed that the newly-built school would be called Gandy.
However, the current school board chair said that a formal vote on the matter was never taken.
The current school board said that the reconsolidated school can't be named Gandy because of a board policy that states unnamed facilities can't be named after a person.
Despite this policy, many expressed concerns and confusion on the matter.
“To strip and silence the school of John M. Gandy, it will bring a slap to the face to African Americans,” said one woman at the meeting.
Others said that the policy doesn't apply because it is a reconsolidation, not a new school.
Others argued that the board is picking and choosing which parts of the policy they want to follow, adding there hasn't been community input.
“That order of events is in violation of your own renaming policy,” another woman stated.
Only one community member at Tuesday's meeting spoke in support of the board moving forward with the process, saying she has given support to all board members and will continue to do so.
School Board Chair John Axselle read a statement clarifying the board's stance, saying the potential violation of policy came as conversations around construction were happening.
“We are not replacing a grade three through five grade school with a grade three through five school. Rather we are constructing a school where the majority of levels will be new to the school,” Axselle said.
Several school board members then weighed in on the issue, saying they can sympathize with the concerns expressed during public comment.
“I know there is a policy. I’m not denying that. But I also know things can change,” said Ola Hawkins.
Board member John Redd suggested voting in May to rename the school district office after Gandy because he believes it meets the naming policy, adding he suggests making sure the new school has a plaque to commemorate the old names.
The district will send out ways the community can give feedback on Wednesday. In April, the board will hear name suggestions and will vote on the school name in May.
Hanover County renamed Lee-Davis High School and Stonewall Jackson Middle School, both schools named to honor leaders of the Confederacy, in 2020.
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