Virginia Democratic Lieutenant Governor candidate State Senator Ghazala Hashmi (D-District 15) held what she described as a “roundtable conversation” in Richmond on Wednesday — but notably, the event was closed to the public and press.
At her “Protect Public Education” tour, Hashmi was joined behind closed doors by Richmond Public Schools officials (NPS) — including Richmond City School Board Chair Shavonda Fernandez and a district “Newcomer Specialist.”
Hashmi’s campaign said the roundtable conversation focused on “discussing the stakes for public education in the November election.”
Specifically, the Democrat’s campaign said, behind closed doors, Hashmi and NPS officials discussed the “stark contrast between Sen. Hashmi’s commitment to strengthening public education and her opponent John Reid’s plan to funnel Virginia tax payer dollars into expensive private schools.”
Only approved media who requested to cover the event were provided with the location of the closed-door event by Hashmi’s campaign.
On Hashmi’s campaign website, she lists “addressing target areas of inequality” and “protecting vulnerable populations” in Virginia schools as her top priorities with regard to education.
Hashmi’s opponent, Republican nominee John Reid, presents a “conservative approach” to “bring back common sense” in Virginia schools, which includes keeping biological men out of women’s spaces; ending “equity-grading”; banning DEI mandates in K–12 curriculum and hiring; empowering parents to have full visibility and control over sensitive content and services related to gender, sexuality, and mental health in schools; and guaranteeing access to both career and college pathways in every high school.
“In 2021 we reminded the world that Parents Matter. That’s at risk now with a potential Spanberger-Hashmi Administration. It’s time to live up to that promise and continue to put children and families first. Let’s get back to basics. Let’s demand better. And let’s make sure the next generation of Virginians is ready for whatever comes next,” Reid writes on his website.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Virginia Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Background Photo “Virginia Capitol” by Martin Kraft. CC BY-SA 3.0.
