RICHMOND, Va. – They are calling it an “assault on equity in schools,” so the Virginia Education Association held a news conference Tuesday to ”put Governor Glenn Youngkin on notice.”
“We are here today to put Governor Youngkin on notice that we will not stand idly by,” said Dr. James Fedderman, VEA president.
So, they’re taking everything a report from the state’s superintendent took away and putting it on their website.
“When we talk about ‘divisive concepts,’ I think we’re just talking about history and I’m afraid if we don’t learn from our history, we are going to repeat it,” said Takein Cooper, Virginia Excels.
A group of educators, lawyers and community activists held a press conference Tuesday in Richmond.
In January, Youngkin filed an Executive Order on day one of his term to root out CRT and other divisive concepts from state classrooms.
In March, the state’s superintendent released a report which found no instance of CRT being taught in classrooms but pointed out some online materials.
This includes a report on the basic tenants of anti-racism because it uses language from who the report calls a CRT author stating, “White people benefit from racism, regardless of intention.”
The report also rescinds the DoE’s initiative EdEquityVA, which you can now find on the VEA’s website.
“We don’t have to live in the past, but we have to live with it,” said Amy Walters, Legal Aid Justice Center.
The group argues the establishment of the teacher tip line and the sanitization of education works against them and students.
“A sanitized version is simply one that does not reflect our reality of people living in this Commonwealth or even in this nation,” said Rev. Dr. Elisha Burke, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy.
The governor disagrees.
“It’s a way that I’m a better Governor. I get to hear from people,” said Youngkin.
The middle ground for these two parties is the state budget.
The governor promised he’d work to increase teacher pay and education funding overall, the group said Tuesday, and they hope that’s a promise kept.
“We are going to raise standards in our schools. We’re going to make sure that Virginia’s schools deliver for our kids to either have them college-ready or career ready,” said Youngkin.
Click here to go to VEA’s website.