Reply to Looks like some more schools need to have their names changed (Thomas Jefferson)

Forum Index » Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS)

Reply to "Looks like some more schools need to have their names changed (Thomas Jefferson)"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]Should be an interesting meeting tonight.

What a shame that it has been handled the way it was.  Had it been handled properly, there might have been some type of compromise.  As it is, it has been divisive and upsetting to the community.  Sandy Evans just does not get it.  I know she meant well, but she and Hynes should have been open and transparent with the keepers as well as the changers.

And, blaming good people who are long gone is just wrong.  She does not understand Virginia in the early part of the last century.  Some were raised with grandfathers who had fought in the Civil War and--while much of what they learned may have been wrongheaded--it was not necessarily evil.  These people who were raised in this atmosphere revered their elders.  It is quite likely that some of the Board members at that time had grandfathers who fought for the South.  I am a very mature woman now and my mother's grandfather fought for the South.  And, no, he was not a slaveowner.

But to assume that the Board--including Woodson--named the school out of defiance, when, in fact there are minutes that deny that, is unjust and unfair.  Hynes and Evans knew that, but let that myth continue.  In fact, it is used as one of the arguments.  And, it is false.

I don't know what drove Jeb Stuart's decision, but I do know that many of his fellow Confederates did not want their state to secede.  I'm pretty sure that was the case with him.  This could be a learning experience --how a young man made a tough decision that he could not fight against his home and family.  He was directed to do so.  He was directed to fight against Virginia.  So, he resigned from the USArmy.

In today's world, I wonder if something could not be learned from this lesson.

The politicians may have seceded over slavery, but the soldiers fought to defend their homes.

Mrs. Evans and Mrs. Hynes would do well to talk with some native Virginians who are of another generation.  They might learn something about people and their views.

I understand the issue.  Had this been handled without the outside influence of the NAACP, it might have turned out more harmoniously--and the community might have supported a change.  But, it was not handled properly.  They should have presented it as the compassionate thing to do instead of just to go out on the attack.  Demonizing the Woodson Board was wrong.  And, Evans and Hynes latched on to that theme early in the process.  When it was pointed out (as evidenced in the FOIA emails) that this was not the case, they ignored it.  Pulling in the attack dogs from outside the Stuart community just caused people to double down.

This has already cost resources to FCPS.  It will continue to cost resources--and goodwill.  Lots of resources.

And, no matter how carefully crafted the motion, it opens the door to lots and lots of changes and lots of financial resources that would be much better spent in the classroom.  No question, the NAACP will not stop with Stuart.  We will move on to others.  It is actions like these that made people vote against the Meals Tax.  I would have voted for the Meals Tax.  I know how important it is to have good teachers with good resources.  But, it is clear that is not the priority of this School Board.  Look at the money and time spent trying to pass the "bathroom" reg.  They could have left it alone--it would have been handled gracefully in the schools.  But, they had to put their own attitudes ahead of education.  And, yes, they lost support when they did that.  Had they waited a year or two, it would have been okay.

Because of this, a handful of people will get the name changed at the expense of the "keepers".  Perhaps, if they had not demonized the "keepers" they would have received their support.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics