New Names For John Archer, William/Paca Old Post Road Selected

BEL AIR, MD — The Harford County Board of Education voted on new names for the Old Post Road/William Paca Elementary School and the John Archer School at its meeting Monday night.

Because both schools were named for people who owned slaves, the board decided in March to rename them, since their names did not align with the Harford County Public Schools mission.

Harford Academy at Campus Hills will be the new name for the John Archer School, and Old Post Road Elementary School will be the name for Old Post Road/William Paca Elementary School.

A 60-day period for public comment on the renaming of the schools ended May 20, and the school board received 59 submissions with suggestions, officials reported.

Still, the board discussed whether community members should hear the proposed names first before members took a vote.

Related: HCPS To Rename John Archer, William Paca Schools

During the public comment portion of the school board meeting at 6:30 p.m., John Archer Principal Randy Geyer requested a delay in the vote on his school’s renaming as a "courtesy to hear those names, process those names and offer thoughts as to which would be most appropriate."

Geyer humbly asked the board to postpone the decision to allow for more dialogue between the board and community members.

“Our John Archer School is about … celebration of differences,” Geyer said. “It is absolutely imperative that a school name match the spirit.”

Added Geyer: “The new name of this building must be a brand that all members of our school community can stand behind and support.”

Hours later during the school board meeting, President Rachel Gauthier emailed him to check whether the Harford Academy would be OK, and she said he was in support.

She and other school board members discussed that John Archer — which supports students with special educational needs — had concerns specific to the population it served.

"This is is a school that is and can be a lifetime school," Gauthier said. "Some kids start at 5 and they don't really leave until 21. This is part of who they are, this is how they see themselves and again it’s the families, it’s the community, it is a community that comes from all over. There is no other school in our county like John Archer."

Possibilities for its name included the Harford Academy, Harford School of Special Education, Thomas Run Road School, Campus Hills School, Harford School, Archer School, Harriet Tubman School or Jackie Haas Center/School/Academy, among others (see the full list below).

Based on feedback from Geyer and other community members, board members said they wanted seal of approval from the principal first.

Before John Archer was renamed, Gauthier emailed William Paca/Old Post Road Elementary School Principal Ronald Wooden, whom she said replied that his school community supported Old Post Road Elementary School as its name going forward.

Here are all the names submitted, according to the Harford County Board of Education: