Attorneys for the NAACP Virginia State Conference and five Shenandoah County families are heading to trial this week, arguing that the Shenandoah County School Board violated students’ civil rights by reinstating Confederate school names, according to court documents.
What’s at issue
The bench trial — held before a judge in the U.S. Western District of Virginia — will determine whether the school board’s decision to restore the historic Confederate names at Stonewall Jackson High School and Ashby Lee Elementary School created an unlawful, discriminatory educational environment and violated students’ constitutional and civil rights.
When and where
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Dates: December 11–19, 2025
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Time: 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m. daily; opening statements scheduled for the morning of December 11
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Location: U.S. Western District of Virginia, 116 North Main Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22802, Room 314
The Washington Lawyers’ Committee and Covington & Burling LLP represent the plaintiffs. The NAACP Virginia State Conference joined five students and their families in filing the federal complaint on June 11, 2024. The suit alleges violations of the First and Fourteenth Amendments, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Equal Educational Opportunities Act.
Previous rulings
On September 9, 2025, U.S. District Judge Michael Urbanski ruled that the school board violated the First Amendment rights of Stonewall Jackson High School students by effectively forcing them to promote the Stonewall Jackson name and the Confederate message it represents. That ruling is part of the record and will shape arguments at this week’s trial.
Plaintiffs argue that reinstating Confederate names compels students to carry and endorse a political and racial message they reject, harming the educational experience of students of color and others. During the trial, the NAACP and families will present evidence and testimony describing how the names affect students’ sense of safety and learning environment.
The school board will also have the opportunity to explain its reasoning for the name changes and offer defenses under constitutional and statutory law.
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