Fairfax County's Mosby Woods Elementary Will Be Renamed

OAKTON, VA — The Fairfax County School Board voted unanimously at a Thursday meeting to change the name of Mosby Woods Elementary School in the Oakton area. The school references the Mosby Woods neighborhood, which was named after Confederate Col. John S. Mosby.

The school board vote follows a one-month public comment period that started on Sept. 4, an Oct. 1 community meeting and Oct. 7 school board hearing.

"In the FCPS strategic plan, we commit to fostering a responsive, caring, and inclusive culture," said Providence District representative Karl Frisch. "We cannot live up to that standard when students attend schools named in honor of the racist vestiges of our past. Simply put — a school system that honors the Confederacy cannot honor Black lives."

The consideration of the name change moved forward after the school board voted to rename Robert E. Lee High School in Springfield as John Lewis High School for the 2020-2021 school year.Frisch and at-large member Karen Keys-Gamarra proposed in June that the process for considering renaming Mosby Woods Elementary follow the conclusion of the Lee High School renaming process.

Mosby was a Confederate army cavalry battalion commander known for his raids on Union troops in Northern Virginia. But after the war, he was pardoned by President Ulysses Grant and became a Republican, leading to threats against him from Southerners who felt betrayed. He became friends with President Grant and served as U.S. consul to Hong Kong under his administration.

Public comments made by email and at the Oct. 1 community meeting were largely in support of the name change. Some who supported a name change cited Mosby's Confederate ties, while a few opposed residents argued that his history was more complex.

After the school board started the process, some of Mosby's descendants wrote a letter to the board requesting the removal of the family's name "in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and the peaceful demonstrations against the continued oppression of people of color going on across the U.S. and Europe."

"We grew up in Fairfax County and are keenly aware of the affection that many Virginians feel towards our great-great-grandfather, a unique and colorful figure in the history of the war between the states," the letter reads. "As parents and educators, however, we must consider what message we send when we choose which aspects of our history to celebrate and which to condemn."

On Oct. 22, the superintendent will recommend a new name for the school. That will kick off a community feedback period leading to a Nov. 3 virtual community meeting. A public hearing on a new name consideration will happen on Dec. 2, followed by a school board vote on Dec. 3.

For more information about the process, visit www.fcps.edu/proposal-rename-mosby-woods.