Virginia school board votes to restore Confederate names

A Virginia school board has approved a motion for two schools to revert to their Confederate names following a debate that bitterly divided a town.

The Shenandoah County School Board voted 5-1 to reinstate the names of Stonewall Jackson High and Ashby-Lee Elementary in Quicksburg.

Community members had been pushing for a reversal, arguing the 2020 name change was unpopular.

The vote marked the first such U-turn anywhere in the US.

A large crowd flocked to the school board's public meeting on Thursday to listen to a series of arguments from residents on both sides of the issue.