Potential 9 School Renamings Considered By Loudoun School Board

Editor's note: Loudoun County Public Schools clarified that Mercer Middle School's renaming process will not get another town hall.

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — The Loudoun County School Board voted Tuesday to explore renamings of nine schools, some of which will be up for consideration sooner than others.

Renaming committees will be formed in the 2024-2025 school year to consider renaming Frances Hazel Reid Elementary School in Leesburg and Mercer Middle School in Aldie. Frances Hazel Reid refers to a United Daughters of the Confederacy member, while Mercer is tied to a slaveowner affiliated with the American Colonization Society. The previous School Board did not take up the two school renamings before their terms ended.

Seven others schools will be considered for renaming at a later time — Belmont Ridge Middle School in Leesburg, Belmont Station Elementary School in Ashburn, Seldens Landing Elementary School in Leesburg, Sully Elementary School in Sterling, Hutchison Farm Elementary School in South Riding, Ball’s Bluff Elementary School in Leesburg and Emerick Elementary School in Purcellville. Belmont Ridge Middle School's name is affiliated with selling slaves down South and the American Colonization Society. Belmont Station's name is tied to a plantation, selling slaves in the South and the American Colonization Society. Seldens Landing and Sully refer to plantations and enslavement, and Hutchinson Farm refers to a family supporting secession, fighting with the Confederacy and enslavement. Ball's Bluff references a Civil War battle won by Confederates, and Emerick references an LCPS superintendent during the Jim Crow era. In the fall, Loudoun County Public Schools staff will propose timelines for renamings of these seven remaining schools.

The board is not taking action on renaming Aldie's John Champe High School, which references a Loudoun County native and Revolutionary War veteran whose ties to enslavement are unclear, or other schools.

"The Loudoun County School Board is dedicated to ensuring the names and mascots of our schools and facilities accurately reflect our vision, mission and values," said School Board Chair and Dulles District representative Melinda Mansfield in a statement. "Every aspect of our schools should be positive, inclusive and healthy for the entire community. I respect the role that history plays in our community and I look forward to the constructive and passionate conversations that will no doubt occur as we move forward through this endeavor, but I also feel our priority must be to ensure all students and staff have a safe place to work and learn where they feel seen, heard and valued."

A town hall will be held during the process to gather community feedback on the Hazel Reid Elementary School, according to Loudoun County Public Schools. Although town halls were already held for the schools, Leesburg District representative Lauren Shernoff expressed the need for another Frances Hazel Reid Elementary School town hall due to a previous one receiving minimal attendance. Mercer Middle School's renaming will not get another town hall.

A measure by Ashburn District representative Deana Griffiths to consider history education measures instead of school renamings failed. At-large representative Anne Donohue's motion to not take action to explore renaming Ball's Bluff and Emirk Elementary Schools also did not pass.

Renamings of schools became a topic of discussion in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement in June 2020 seeking to address systemic racism. In June 2020, the Loudoun County School Board kicked off a review of LCPS facility names and mascots with contractor History Matters. The review determined if any LCPS facility were named for Confederate leaders or the Confederate cause, for people who lived during the time enslavement was prevalent, or implemented racial segregation laws in Virginia during the eras of Jim Crow and Massive Resistance.

According to board documents, no public schools are named after Confederate leaders or the Confederate cause. But with the review criteria, the nine schools plus John Champe High School were recommended for further review.

"As we continue to move through this exploratory process to determine the impact of renaming certain schools, my goal is to ensure that we’re engaging the community in these discussions and particularly elevating the voices and experiences of our students, staff and families," said Superintendent Aaron Spence in a statement. "This remains an ongoing process, and through open dialogue and collaboration, we are dedicated to creating an educational environment centered on a culture of belonging and excellence."