The gubernatorial campaign for Republican Glenn Youngkin responded to former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, running for his second nonconsecutive term in that office, who once again denied that Critical Race Theory (CRT) is being taught in schools in Virginia.
“Virginians know that Terry McAuliffe doesn’t have the best interests of parents and students in mind,” Youngkin spokesman Christian Martinez told The Virginia Star. “McAuliffe wants to keep parents out of the classroom so his special interest allies can force their radical political agenda into classrooms and tell children what to think instead of teaching them how to think. As governor, Glenn Youngkin will empower parents, ban critical race theory, restore excellence in our public schools, and raise teacher pay.”
McAuliffe made his false claim on CNN’s “State of the Union.” He says that CRT is made up by his Republican opponent to divide people.
But the former Virginia governor has denied before that CRT is being taught in the state’s schools, a statement that is easily disprovable.
In fact, the Virginia Department of Education’s (DOE) own website features a web page called “Anti-racism in Education.”
That web page pushes “strategic planning around racial equity,” and says education “that does not include systemic analysis of racism helps to maintain systems of oppression.”
It also defines terms that teachers can use in the classroom to help in their teaching of CRT. One of those terms is “microagression,” which the DOE defines as “an everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slight, snub, or insult, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicates hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership.”
More specifically, there are several instances of CRT being taught in Virginia schools.
For example, in an email sent by Dr. Amanda Voelker, the principal of James River High School, Voelker explains to parents the school’s plan to tackle CRT in the classroom.
“I indicated that I would be following up with you to share our school’s next steps in addressing what we will do to promote a culture of inclusion that supports students of all backgrounds. Faculty met on Monday, July 20 to redefine what it means to be a Rapid and what we will need to do to improve our learning environment,” she says in the email. “We have partnered with the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities to begin the journey of building a shared language while questioning our barriers. We will create an equity team that will include staff, students, and the community.”
In the same email, she links to a resource called “Teaching As Activism, Teaching as Care,” a CRT-based guide by a nonprofit called Learning for Justice.
In one of Virginia’s most high-profile CRT battles, Loudoun County parents have organized to fight back against the practice, which is being taught in their schools.
Parents have shown up to Loudoun County School Board meetings to express their disapproval.
After one of those meetings, Rachel Pisani, a parent in Loudoun County, told Fox News that she and an “army” of other parents won’t stop fighting against CRT in the school district.
“The goal was really parents being able to speak and express their concern about CRT and the fact that our school board wants to indoctrinate our children,” she said. “We do not want to co-parent with our government.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Virginia Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Glenn Youngkin” by Glenn Youngkin. Photo “Terry McAuliffe” by Terry McAuliffe. Background Photo “School Hall” by kyo azuma.
