by Audrey Carpenter

A Town Hall meeting will be held Sept. 17 at Smart’s Mill Middle School, 850 North King Street in Leesburg, for the public to weigh in on the issue of renaming Francis Hazel Reid Elementary School. Email comments are also being accepted at: [email protected].

This Town Hall will be the first of several after the Loudoun County School Board identified nine schools within the district that it says have names associated with slavery and racism.

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors has been undergoing an expansive renaming effort in the last few years, most recently renaming Leesburg’s old Loudoun County Courthouse last Monday and also renaming a number of roads across the county that it considered to be a stain on the county.

Each time the county or school system renames an institution or road, it is funded by taxpayer money. The mascot for Loudoun County High School was changed from “Raiders” to “Captains” in 2021. The school board said it made the change because the “Raiders” name was associated with John Mosby’s Confederate unit during the Civil War.

That change cost taxpayers $1.5 million, according to LCPS.

Another Leesburg school is also targeted for a name change — Balls Bluff Elementary School, named for the successful Confederate military skirmish at Balls Bluff during the Civil War in Leesburg on Oct. 21, 1861.

Who was Francis Hazel Reid?

Francis Reid was studied by Loudoun County public school students for the “One to the World” program, a project-based learning initiative that aims to connect students with the world, allowing them to share work, engage in problem-based learning and collaborate with others. Here’s what they reported:

Miss Frances Hazel Reid, also known as Miss Fannie, was born on April 22, 1900 in Fauquier County, Virginia. She lived in Hume with her aunt and brothers, and then moved to Purcellville when she was 12 years old. Miss Fannie graduated from Lincoln High School and attended the Wilson Teacher College and Strayer Business College in Washington D.C.

In June, 1921, when Ms. Fannie was 21 years old, she began her career at the Loudoun Times Mirror newspaper as a secretary. She was then promoted to Bookkeeper, Editor, and then Associate Publisher of the newspaper. At times, Miss Fannie was also a reporter. She loved to meet people and discuss all things of interest as she reported news for the newspaper. She enjoyed politics, and would often be seen walking about town socializing and debating with others.

Miss Fannie was director of the Loudoun County Historical Society, and a founding member of the Loudoun Business and Professional Women’s Club. In 1987, Miss Fannie published a book about the history of local newspapers titled, “Inside Loudoun: The Way it Was.” To many who worked with her at the newspaper, and in the community, Miss Fannie was known as “Loudoun’s living history.”

Miss Fannie worked with the newspaper for 73 years and worked hard to study and preserve the history of Loudoun County. Because of her contributions to Loudoun County, our elementary school was named for her.

Reid died at age 94 in 1994. The elementary school was named after her in 2003.

Why would a respected and accomplished woman be canceled?

The basis for the school system wanting to rename the school named for Reid is the fact that she was one of 14 women who founded the Purcellville chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1924. UDC pursued two main goals: erecting memorials in honor of fathers and grandfathers who fought in the Civil War and caring for aging Confederate veterans and their families. Reid’s grandfather was a Confederate veteran.

The United Daughters of the Confederacy says on its website homepage:

To some, these memorial statues and markers are viewed as divisive and thus unworthy of being allowed to remain in public places. To others, they simply represent a memorial to our forefathers who fought bravely during four years of war. These memorial statues and markers have been a part of the Southern landscape for decades.

As descendants of Confederate soldiers, sailors, and patriots, our organization has long honored their memory through various activities in education, history, and charity, while promoting patriotism and good citizenship. For over a century, our members, like our statues, have quietly remained in the background, refraining from public controversy. The United Daughters of the Confederacy totally denounces any individual or group that promotes racial divisiveness or white supremacy.

We are saddened that some people find anything connected with the Confederacy to be offensive. Our Confederate ancestors were and are Americans. We as an Organization do not sit in judgment of them nor do we impose the standards of the 19th century on Americans of the 21st century.

Despite the complete public denouncement of racism on the UDC website, the Loudoun County School Board still wants to pick a new name for the elementary school.

Committee to be formed

The School Board’s school renaming policy says the board will appoint a committee to propose new names for the school. Individuals who’d like to serve on the Frances Hazel Reid Elementary School committee must submit a letter of interest to the Loudoun County Public Schools Division of Planning and GIS Services at [email protected] by Sept. 27. Unless the School Board directs staff to do otherwise, the School Board will consider appointing committee members on Oct. 8.

The committee will include one Francis Hazel Reid Elementary School administrator, at least two Francis Hazel Reid Elementary School staff, at least two Francis Hazel Reid Elementary School parents or guardians, one to two Francis Hazel Reid Elementary School alumni, one Leesburg Town Council member, at least two community members in the Francis Hazel Reid Elementary School zone without a student, one Minority Student Achievement Advisory Committee member and one Black History Committee – Friends of Thomas Balch Library member.

Audrey Carpenter resides in Leesburg. This column is republished from Patch.com.