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James Blair Middle School committee recommends renaming process continue after 11‑0 committee vote; community survey split
Summary
A school committee recommended pursuing a renaming process after an internal 11‑0‑1 poll, even though a 1,724‑respondent community survey showed 53% opposed to renaming. The committee cited James Blair’s historical ties to slavery and recommended next steps including soliciting non‑person place names.
A committee convened to consider whether to rename James Blair Middle School recommended that the school board pursue a renaming pathway after an internal anonymous poll showed 11 members in favor with one abstention, the committee reported April 1.
The committee’s report summarized historical research and a community survey conducted as part of the process. The research noted that James Blair (founder and first president of the College of William & Mary) purchased the Nottoway plantation in 1718 and used enslaved labor; the committee concluded that a school bearing his name “does not engender the inspirational or aspirational qualities to support all learners.”
The c…
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