The Williamsburg-James City County school board tabled next steps in changing the name of James Blair Middle School at a work session Tuesday night.
Board members spent half an hour discussing the pros and cons of changing the name, and how much weight to give a community survey where a majority voted to keep the name.
“The community had spoken and they are the ones who live with the name,” said Roberts District Representative Daniel R. Cavazos. “We asked them what they wanted and that’s what they said….the board should be respectful of the community opinion and move forward.”
Proponents of the name change said the middle school should not be named after a slaveholder like James Blair, who was a founder of William & Mary.
Vice Chair Andrea M. Donnor and Berkeley District Representative Randy J. Riffle felt the board should move forward with the name change process.
“I think…