Following a national trend, the School Board on Tuesday approved a proposal to cease the celebration of Christopher Columbus’ map-expanding voyages of discovery and instead focus on the accomplishments of the original inhabitants of the what Europeans viewed as the New World. Under the proposal introduced by Harris Mahedavi (Ashburn), the schools will celebrate the second Monday of October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead.

According to the resolution, Columbus’ discovery of the Americas—land previously unknown to Europeans until their search for an alternate trade route to Asia—opened the door to the destruction of the Indigenous peoples’ communities. Indigenous Peoples’ Day will highlight the progress society has accomplished through the contributions of the Indigenous culture.