Following months of input from the community and two public hearings, the School Board of the City of Portsmouth has voted to officially change the name of three of its schools: Woodrow Wilson High School, James Hurst Elementary School and John Tyler Elementary School.
Woodrow Wilson High School will be renamed Manor High School (the school’s former name before it was consolidated with two other high schools in 1993); James Hurst Elementary will be renamed Cradock Elementary; and John Tyler Elementary will be renamed Waterview Elementary.
The call to change the school names came as part of the national debate of renaming buildings, monuments and other institutions originally named for Confederate leaders or others who supported racial injustices including slavery and school segregation.
Throughout the rest of the school year, school maintenance and operations will be in the schools to make the requisite updates to the buildings, including signage and painting. The changes will take place beginning July 1, 2021.