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Judge Orders Confederate School Renames; Board Votes to Restore Names

8/8/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Judge Michael F. Urbanski ordered Shenandoah County school board to rename its schools, finding the Confederate names violated the 14th Amendment’s equal-protection clause.
Urbanski instructed the board to select new names on a racially nondiscriminatory basis with deliberate speed.
The board voted 5-1 to restore the Confederate names, and Rev. Cozy Bailey called the ruling a “decisive victory.”

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Story summary

Judge Michael F. Urbanski ordered Shenandoah County school board to rename its schools, finding the Confederate names violated the 14th Amendment’s equal-protection clause.
Urbanski instructed the board to select new names on a racially nondiscriminatory basis with deliberate speed.
The board voted 5-1 to restore the Confederate names, and Rev. Cozy Bailey called the ruling a “decisive victory.”