NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - A Virginia school board will consider renaming three public schools named after men who fought for the Confederacy, according to officials.
The Norfolk School Board was set to reevaluate the names of Maury High School, William H. Ruffner Academy and W. H. Taylor Elementary, board chairwoman Noelle Gabriel announced during the board’s meeting on Wednesday.
The school board planned to discuss the names during a session next month, WVEC-TV reported.
Gabriel said the names should be changed out of respect for black students who attend the schools. Black students make up more than half of the population at Maury, 95% of student body at Ruffner and just under a third of the population at Taylor, according to The Virginian-Pilot.
Norfolk was found to have more schools named for Confederates than any locality in the state, the newspaper said.
During the Wednesday meeting, the board also endorsed a resolution against racism in education and voted to make Juneteenth a paid holiday for employees, news outlets said.
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