Roughly 76 percent of the more than 13,000 people who submitted responses to a survey supported keeping the names of the schools in Mechanicsville, a suburb of the capital city, according to a report provided by Hanover County Public Schools.

The debate over the school names in Mechanicsville emerged as schools and other institutions across the country began evaluating the place of Confederate symbols in public places after white supremacists and white nationalists descended in Charlottesville for an August rally that turned deadly,

A crew covered the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on Aug. 23 in black fabric following approval from the Charlottesville City Council.(Lauren Berg/Twitter)

Those who have called for change in Mechanicsville argue the school names and mascots — the Confederates (the high school) and Rebels (the middle school)  — inappropriately honor men who fought to maintain slavery and reflect a tortured racial history. Opponents view renaming the schools as an effort to dismiss history.

The high school is named for Robert E. Lee, a Confederate general, and Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy. Stonewall Jackson, the middle school’s namesake, was also a Confederate general.

A survey was generated by the school district to gauge public sentiment on the names after alumni and other community members began advocating for change last year. Students, parents, faculty and alumni who supported keeping the names cited the importance of honoring the schools’ heritage, expressed cost concerns and argued renaming the schools wouldn’t ameliorate racism, according to the district’s report.

Ryan Leach, a Lee-Davis graduate who spearheaded the campaign to rid the schools of the names and mascots, said the results weren’t unexpected. Ties to the Civil War run deep in Hanover, the county where Mechanicsville is located, and the renaming push was met with significant resistance in the community.

But Leach said he was pleased two members of the seven-member School Board appeared to signal support for the school renaming at a work session earlier this month.

“It’s so important now that there’s a contemporary record of people going against the name and mascots and a revisitation of history in Hanover County,” Leach said.

Marsha Boyce Rider, a Lee-Davis graduate who launched a petition to maintain the names, declined to comment on the survey results.

The School Board is expected to discuss the renaming proposal at an April board meeting and “bring this item to a conclusion,” according to a district spokesman.

–washingtonpost.com

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