YORK — A survey on whether a York County elementary school should be renamed for its possible ties to slavery found that the majority of respondents oppose the change.
The York County school division sent out a survey in July asking for opinions about a proposal to rename Magruder Elementary School. The proposal is based on earlier efforts by a grassroots group seeking to change the name because of its connection to Confederal Gen. John Bankhead Magruder, who ordered the 1861 burning of Hampton while killing and capturing runaway slaves during the start of the Civil War.
While Magruder Elementary may have been named after the village of Magruder, a former Black community displaced by the creation of Camp Peary in World War II, the Magruder name likely came from the general.
The survey results were shared at the school board’s Monday work session. More than 2,100 responses were recorded, including 1,700 from people with connections to the schools and 327 from county residents. About 80 nonresidents responded to an online survey.
Of the 1,700 responses from the internal survey, 33% said yes to the renaming, 57% said no and 11% had no opinion. Of the 408 responses from the public, including county and noncounty residents, 47% said yes, 51% said no and 2% had no opinion.
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A response in support of the renaming said the county shouldn’t elevate slaveholders as people to honor while someone who opposed the renaming said the schools shouldn’t try to erase history.
Renaming schools due to history events is “like you’re trying to wipe clean the past,” one response against the renaming read. “And the purpose of the past is to improve on or learn from.”
Of those public respondents who live in York County, 40% agreed with the renaming, 58% disagreed and 2% had no opinion.
The York County School Division showcased the results of a survey for the renaming of Magruder Elementary School on Monday. Courtesy of York County Schools
Renaming the school would cost about $64,570, including signage, instructional materials and staff uniforms, according to James Carroll, the school division’s chief operations officer.
School board Chair Kimberly S. Goodwin said board members would have a “couple of weeks” to review the information before the board makes a decision.
James W. Robinson, 757-799-0621, james.robinson@virginiamedia.com
