Confederate Honors: Board Vote on Renaming JEB Stuart High

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA -- A cause that attracted the attention of some famous former students including actress Julianne Moore will come front and center for a vote July 28 by members of the Fairfax County School Board.

The issue: Renaming J.E.B. Stuart High School.

Stuart was a United States Army officer from Virginia who later became a Confederate Army general during the Civil War. Those on the side of renaming the school say "these schools were intentionally named in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s to fuel racial tension."

A petition was started after a shooting in Charleston, S.C. that left nine people dead by a white supremacist. The petition notes: "After the Charleston massacre we cannot abide by this school name that was given in 1959 by neo-Confederates in hateful defiance of desegregation during Virginia's shameful massive resistance movement. The students that walk the hallowed halls of our school in 2015 are a more diverse group than ever, and they deserve a school name that represents something more germane to where we are today, not represented by Confederate history that was recycled in the 1950’s for a hateful purpose: to hurt and shame black youth that were, by court order, integrated into our county’s white school system."

The Fairfax County School Board sought input via a short survey as part of a process to determine if there is a sufficient community interest in renaming J.E.B. Stuart High School. This is the first time that FCPS has ever considered such a change, so the process outlined below may be modified should it be necessary. If a change in the name of J.E.B. Stuart High School is considered, and if approved by the School Board, it will not go into effect until the 2017-18 school year.

Here's more about the issue, from Fairfax County Public Schools:

School Name History

In 1958, the Fairfax County School Board voted to name a new high school under construction in the Munson Hill area, J.E.B. Stuart High School, after the general in the Confederate Army. The school opened in 1959, one year prior to the U.S. District Court ruling which ordered Fairfax County Public Schools to integrate black and white students. J.E.B. Stuart High School first admitted black students in 1961.

In 2015, J.E.B. Stuart High School students led an effort to begin reconsideration of the school name. The students seek to find a name they believed is more representative of the community. Earlier this year, the School Board reviewed the policy and regulation for naming schools and updated them to provide the opportunity to rename existing school facilities.

Process for Considering Renaming

In February, the School Board directed the Superintendent to initiate community engagement in the J.E.B. Stuart pyramid on whether or not there is sufficient support from the community to change the name of the school. The FCPS regulation states that the School Board may consider a change in the name of a school for a compelling need. A survey was sent to the community May 12-20.

The results of the survey:

• Yes, support changing the name of J.E.B. Stuart High School: 1,203 (35 percent)
• No, do not support changing the name of J.E.B. Stuart High School: 1,926 (56 percent)
• No opinion: 285 (8 percent)

Total responses: 3,414

After the survey closed, a community meeting was held on May 23, at J.E.B. Stuart High School.

Costs

Changing the name of a school may incur costs related to signage, uniforms, equipment and other items; the exact cost will vary based on the scope of change, and timing of the normal replacement cycle for some items; additionally some costs may be offset by private donations. Booster-raised funds will be used in a manner as normally occurs each school year. These costs do not include replacement of items that are typically paid for annually by students or parents (such as swimsuits).

Assuming the name change is implemented on these items within the first year of implementation, and based on preliminary estimates, the following may be costs involved in a name change:

• Front school marquee, baseball/stadium/softball scoreboards, stadium field logos, gym wall murals, gym wall padding, main gym scoreboard – approximately $270,000
• Athletic team uniforms – approximately $154,000
• Band uniforms and equipment - approximately $150,000
• Other miscellaneous items that carry the school logo (may vary depending on attrition or removal versus replacement) - approximately $104,000

Community Feedback

At the community meeting on May 23, community members broke into small groups and provided feedback about the proposal to rename J.E.B. Stuart High School. See some of the May 23 feedback.