Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Residents debate keeping or renaming James Blair Middle School at WJCC public comment
Summary
Several residents urged the Williamsburg-James City County School Board to change the name of James Blair Middle School because of its historical ties to slavery; other residents thanked the board for listening to the community and for not moving forward at this time.
Public comment at the Williamsburg-James City County School Board meeting on May 20 included several speakers who urged the board to change the name of James Blair Middle School, while others thanked the board for pausing a renaming effort.
Joe Katarin, who identified himself as a Williamsburg resident, said community survey responses about the school renaming included racial slurs and asked the board whether it was acceptable for students or community members to submit hate speech through the division’s survey process. He asked, “Are y'all okay with…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
