York County’s school board voted Monday to keep Magruder Elementary School’s name.
Board members voted 3-1 at their regular board meeting not to change the name to Bruton Elementary. Only one person voted to rename the school: Mark J. Shafer, in whose first district the school is located.
The school system conducted a poll on the matter last summer, and 58% of York residents who voted were opposed to changing the name.
School Chair Kimberly S. Goodwin, Vice Chair James E. Richardson and District 2 representative Zoran Pajevic voted against changing the name, without any explanation. District 5 Representative Lynda J. Fairman was not present.
Shafer said when the issue of the school name resurfaced six years ago, he believed the school had been named after a local black community rather than the Confederate General who set fire to Hampton.
“Since then, there have been things come up…articles from 1951” in the Dail…