CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS/WVAH) — Kanawha County school board members have unanimously voted in favor of changing the name of Stonewall Jackson Middle School in Charleston.

Monday afternoon’s decision followed strong community reaction on both sides, with some arguing it was time to change the name, breaking any ties to the confederacy and promoting more inclusiveness. Others contended there was no good reason to change the school’s name after decades.

In other action, the board in a unanimous vote selected Becky Jordon as the new school board president.

During its meeting, the board heard from members of the public to get their thoughts on the issue. Fifteen community advocates both for and against the change stepped up to address the board.

“We need a positive role model to look up to,” one Stonewall student said.

Opinions at the meeting echoed some that have been circulating since the controversy surfaced. An online petition to rename Stonewall to Katherine Johnson Middle School generated more than 6,500 signatures. Supporters of the name change marched to the Kanawha County school board office recently and demanded action. They said renaming the facility is not about altering the past, but a move to create a more positive future.

Meanwhile, a second online petition urging the school system to keep the name of the school collected more than 2,400 signatures.

The middle school, located on Park Avenue on Charleston's West Side, was originally a high school. The demographics of the school are 48% white, 44% black and the remaining 8% either Hispanic, two or more races, Native American or Asian, according to greatschools.org.

Stonewall Jackson was a Clarksburg native and Civil War general. His statue at the state Capitol is beginning to cause a stir, with some calling for its removal. Confederate statues, once seen as history, are increasingly viewed as symbols of oppression and are targeted for change across the country.

Katherine Johnson, who died in February at 101-years-old, is a White Sulphur Springs native who became one of four African American women whose work at NASA helped the United States win the space race. Her story also was told in the book “Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race.”

Johnson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2019.

A “Hidden Figures” movie was released in 2016. The film received a nominee for “Best Picture” at the Academy Awards the following year.

Advocates for keeping Stonewall Jackson as the school’s name argued that while Johnson was an admirable woman in her own right, she has been honored in many ways and places. They argue that Stonewall Jackson has not been glorified, the school’s name has been in place since it was built in 1940 and should remain the same.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS/WVAH) — Nearly 10 months after a woman was the center of a controversial use-of-force investigation involving the Charleston Police Department, a settlement between the city and the family has been reached.

Charleston City Council agreed Monday night to put $80,000 in a trust for Freda Gilmore.

“It was a thoughtful mediation and I do believe that we have come to a very solid agreement,” Mayor Amy Goodwin said.

Gilmore’s arrest on Oct. 14, 2019 was caught on video and caused Charleston police to put two officers on leave while they investigated the force used to take her into custody. Gilmore was previously charged with animal cruelty and obstruction.

Dash cam video shows the two officers, Carlie McCoy and Joshua Mena, punching Gilmore several times while they tried to take her in to custody.