The name chosen for the new consolidated high school in the east end of Belleville could be rejected.

The Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board voted last year to close Quinte Secondary School at the end of this school year, and transfer most of its students to Moira Secondary School this September, with the rest going to Centennial Secondary in the fall.

The public was asked to provide input on a new name for Moira, and Meyers Creek Secondary School was chosen because of the historical connection the Meyers surname has to Belleville.

However, the board has been made aware of concerns John Walden Meyers may have been a slave owner, which an initial review of available sources hadn't revealed, and Queen's University and the Hastings County Historical Society were contacted for additional information. The Dictionary of Canadian Biography  states Meyers "freed his few slaves long before he was legally required to do so."

Director of Education Mandy Savery-Whiteway said a former board student now at Harvard University also provided information regarding Meyers that led the board to "dig a little deeper." 

"As a school board, we are proud to be accepting of all students," Savery-Whiteway said. "We want to have welcome, safe and inclusive learning environments for students and employees and for our communities. 

"We are held to a higher standard, and this is an opportunity to have a look at the information ... and re-open the process and to consider all the information."

The board's Operations and Finance Commitee voted last week to recommend the board conduct a process to rename Meyers Creek Secondary School in time for the school to open this September, and the issue will be discussed at next Monday's board meeting.

Savery-Whiteway said at this point even if Meyers Creek is rejected the school name will be changed as of September.

"Renaming is part of the recommendation put forward so it needs to happen," she said. "Given that the school doesn't actually consolidate until September, we have time."