WAYS TO HELP

Contact the FCPS school board

Contact Laura Jane Cohen at Lhcohen@fcps.edu and 571-423-1080

Copy and paste this email:

Dear Ms. Cohen,

The name of Sangster Elementary should be changed.  

As you know, members of the Sangster family were Edward and Mary Sangster and their three sons, Thomas, John and James Sangster. This family owned land near “Sangster Elementary School” and “Sangster branch” stream in northern Virginia.

The three sons of the Sangster’s all fought for the Confederacy. Thomas and John both died in the Civil War fighting for the Confederacy. James survived. James was a postmaster and slave owner. He spent the rest of his life living in a home near “Sangster Branch” stream. He is buried in Lee Chapel Cemetery less than a mile from Sangster Elementary School.

These people should not be honored. And their slave ownership and contributions to the Confederacy should not continue to be celebrated. Students deserve to go to a school whose name lines up with the values FCPS claims to support. FCPS claims to support diverse and caring culture, fostering belonging, but this cannot be the case when schools honor racism. 

The time to change the school name is now. 

Thank you for your support. I really appreciate that you are advocating for me and many others who want the name changed. Thank you again for amplifying these concerns.

Warmly,

Your name

​