Mosby Woods Elementary Renaming Process Moves Forward

OAKTON, VA — The Fairfax County School Board is set to decide whether to change the name of Mosby Woods Elementary School. A public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, and a vote on changing the name will happen on Thursday.

In June, the school board decided to move forward with a process to consider a name change for Mosby Woods Elementary School, which references Confederate Col. John S. Mosby. The proposal was introduced by Providence District representative Karl Frisch and at-large member Karen Keys-Gamarra.

The school opened in 1963 and was named for the neighborhood of Mosby Woods. Because the neighborhood was developed during the Civil War Centennial commemoration, it was given a Civil War-related name. Mosby was an army colonel who first served under Gen. J.E.B. Stuart's calvary before getting his own command. 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 also was U.S. consul to Hong Kong under President Grant, who he became friends with.

Residents had mixed opinions about the name change during a one-month public comment period began on Sept. 4. Some supported a name change, citing the school's diversity or Mosby's ties to the Confederacy.

"We don’t need to have painful reminders of Confederate soldiers here since it was a malicious naming of the school," one person wrote.

One respondent acknowledged the movement to remove Confederate monuments and names but said Mosby's history should be accounted for.

"If Ulysses Grant himself could recognize that Mosby wasn't your average Confederate leader and offer him redemption, perhaps we should do the same. We should certainly not honor him because he was a Confederate leader," the respondent wrote.

If the school board votes to change the name, the superintendent would make a recommendation for a new name at a future meeting. The public hearing will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. The school board's Thursday regular meeting begins at 7 p.m.

The process comes after the school board removed Confederate names from other schools. Robert E. Lee High School was renamed John Lewis High School to honor the late civil rights leader and congressman. The name change went into effect for the 2020-2021 school year. In the 2018-19 school year, Justice High School replaced J.E.B. Stuart High School in the Falls Church area of the county.