Mountain View High, originally named Stonewall Jackson High, was first named in 1959. It was built and funded illegally and intended to be for “White’s Only” during the height of the Jim Crow racial caste system in the American South and Virginia’s Massive Resistance efforts. The money set aside for integrating schools was instead used to continue segregation, in violation of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. Ashby-Lee was built in 1975, using the since retired magisterial district names at that time.
On June 25, 2020, the School Board of the Shenandoah County Public Schools (SCPS) unanimously voted to adopt a Resolution condemning racism and affirming the division's commitment to an inclusive school environment for all.
Subsequently, on July 9, 2020, they voted 5-1 to retire the old names, and after an extended community review process, on Jan. 14, 2021, the names Mountain View High School and Honey Run Elementary School were chosen unanimously, effective July 1, 2021. These new names honor the beauty and bounty that this magnificent Valley of ours has to offer and are perfectly suitable for all residents.
This decision was challenged in Shenandoah County Circuit Court in August of 2020, and the case was heard throughout the fall of 2020 and into 2021. The plaintiffs lost the case and appealed, and their arguments were again rejected with a final resolution of dismissal in November of 2021 by the Virginia Supreme Court, Case #CL20000984-00. The letter of the law was followed, despite claims to the contrary and the effort in 2022 to revert the names also failed, by a 3-3 vote.
We note that the stated Mission of SCPS is “to prepare each student for a future of life-long learning,” the stated Vision of SCPS is “to be the first choice for education,” and lastly, the SCPS espouses a stated Belief “that great communities come from great schools.” Furthermore, it’s stated that “all decisions are based on the best interests of our students." Reverting to the old, tired and previously rejected names will do nothing to foster or facilitate any of these statements and only serves to be divisive.
On May 9, 2024, once again the school board of the SCPS is going to hold another vote on renaming our Southern campus schools, and we wholeheartedly urge them to reject the false narratives being offered. We implore all members to vote NO on the name changes, thereby reaffirming SCPS and Shenandoah County as a place that is welcoming to all students, families and businesses that choose to call this wonderful place home. Retain Mountain View and Honey Run — names we can ALL be proud of.
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And you all are gonna be big mad when the underhanded ways you changed the names in the first place gets overturned.
Was he on the school board?
It’s a collective “you”.
You take another liberty with the facts by including everyone.
Two recent Supreme Court Rulings say different.
Fairfax County Zoning People vs Fairfax County (2024) -
The Virginia Supreme Court voided the zoning ordinance, emphasizing that non-emergency business cannot be conducted virtually without an in-person meeting.The court upheld the traditional requirement for physical presence during local government proceedings.
• This ruling reinforces the need for transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement even during emergencies .
Wahlstrom v. Suffolk City School Board (2023)
• The school board denied Wahlstrom’s request to physically attend the meeting, instead requiring her to observe remotely via video feed.
Court Ruling
• The Supreme Court of Virginia unanimously held that government bodies cannot compel the public to participate in meetings solely through virtual means.
Posting this from the Virginia NAACP:
https://naacpva.org/virginia-naacp-condemns-efforts-to-name-schools-after-confederate-generals/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2SdDi4kRhhezOvmzv6P0n0AMnVX1YgIa7XyefI-kD4ZnjcjJTd8EhyjC0_aem_AfqOh9EPzX6F9Q8vsAPws63VilbGpBdDoMqTNQb5wLZCvZMJIVT73dhX4u-WMtLnhxMQm0EHx_XiZkO6LXaBlxF_
Just cut and paste the first line.
If that's too hard for readers: Virginia NAACP Condemns Efforts to Name Schools after Confederate Generals
APRIL 22, 2024
12:30 PM
PRESS RELEASE
The NAACP Virginia State Conference NAACP (Virginia NAACP) condemns all efforts to add or retain the names/images of Confederate leaders on public property. Our reasoning is sound: Military leaders of the Confederate States of America took up arms against the United States of America and fought to preserve and expand the peculiar institution of slavery. These hateful, white supremacist ideals should not be memorialized anywhere the public–which includes descendants of enslaved Africans–is required to support financially. The mission of the NAACP requires us to work to eliminate discrimination. Returning names of Confederate leaders to public buildings runs counter to this mission.
Shenandoah County’s “Coalition for Better Schools” wants to change the names of Mountain View High School and Honey Run Elementary School back to Stonewall Jackson and Ashby-Lee, respectively. In 2020, the Shenandoah County School Board voted to change schools named after Confederate leaders and to remove the rebel mascot from North Fork Middle School. The subject of restoring the names came before the school board again in 2022, the decision was split 3-3, and the Confederate names were not restored. November 2023 brought new members to the school board. Confederate sympathizers have declared their desire to change the names of the public schools. The Virginia NAACP vehemently opposes this effort and hopes that all citizens committed to racial justice will do the same.
NAACP??
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People? Who are the "colored" people? Instead of changing the names of schools, maybe consider updating some of the anti-white organizations, NAACP, ACLU, UNITED NEGRO COLLEGE FUND, Black Lives Matter.
Thank you for your commentary, especially the historical reference to what occurred in 1959. Massive Resistance seems to be alive and well 65 years later!
Welcome to the discussion.
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