RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is urging school systems across the state to remove all references to the Confederacy.

In a letter mailed to school board chairmen across the state, the Democratic governor urges school boards to take action to change or remove any Confederate symbols or tributes.

In his letter, Northam said “it is time to change school names and mascots that memorialize Confederate leaders or sympathizers.” Northam said that like the statues, the names of public places, streets and schools “send messages to our children about what we value most as a society.” He described the cost of taking such action as “minimal” when compared to the burden that generations of Americans suffered through slavery, the Jim Crow-era and systemic racism.

“This is no longer acceptable,” he said, warning of the “traumatizing impact on students, families, teachers and staff of all backgrounds.”

His action comes as the city of Richmond removed a statue to Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson and Roanoke begins the process of relocating a downtown monument to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

The Fairfax County School Board voted last month to rename Robert E. Lee High School, with the student body charged with deciding on a new name before the start of the fall semester.

School boards in Prince William County and Loudoun County have also voted on similar name changes.