Immediately after being formally sworn in, Virginia’s new Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, signed an executive order banning Critical Race Theory (CRT) in the state’s schools. Executive Order One, issued on January 15, 2022, carries the title,
“ENDING THE USE OF INHERENTLY DIVISIVE CONCEPTS, INCLUDING CRITICAL RACE THEORY, AND RESTORING EXCELLENCE IN K-12 PUBLIC EDUCATION IN THE COMMONWEALTH.”
Youngkin swept to a surprise victory over the heavily favored democratic nominee in November 2021, after a year of Virginia parents pushing back at school board meetings against CRT in their kids’ curriculum.
EO One reads, in part (emphasis added):
Political indoctrination has no place in our classrooms. The vast majority of learning in our schools involves imparting critical knowledge and skills in math, science, history, reading and other areas that should be non-controversial. Inherently divisive concepts, like Critical Race Theory and its progeny, instruct students to only view life through the lens of race and presumes that some students are consciously or unconsciously racist, sexist, or oppressive, and that other students are victims. This denies our students the opportunity to gain important facts, core knowledge, formulate their own opinions, and to think for themselves. Our children deserve far better from their education than to be told what to think. Instead, the foundation of our educational system should be built on teaching our students how to think for themselves. Virginia must renew its commitment to teaching our children the value of freedom of thought and diversity of ideas. We must equip our teachers to teach our students the entirety of our history – both good and bad. From the horrors of American slavery and segregation, and our country’s treatment of Native Americans, to the triumph of America’s Greatest Generation against the Nazi Empire, the heroic efforts of Americans in the Civil Rights Movement, and our country’s defeat of the Soviet Union and the ills of Communism, we must provide our students with the facts and context necessary to understand these important events. Only then will we realize Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream that our children “will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
Note the part that says, “Inherently divisive concepts, like Critical Race Theory and its progeny instruct students to only view life through the lens of race.” This is an important point, as the playbook is to claim CRT is not taught in schools. The progeny of CRT, such as anti-racism and intersectionality, appears extensively in teacher training, curriculum formation in all subjects, and administrative rules. So while Little Johnny and Suzie don’t take a college level comparative philosophy course in various critical theories, they do face indoctrination in the form of the messages sent at all levels.
Younkin obviously realizes there will be a strenuous effort to evade the EO, so the EO has numerous enforcement promvision. The EO, among other things, directs the Superintendent of Public Instruction to
Youngkin provides the constitutional justification for his order, saying:
The Constitution of Virginia requires that the Governor shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed. It further provides a right to be free from any governmental discrimination upon the basis of religious conviction, race, color, sex, or national origin. Critical race theory and related concepts are teaching our children to engage in the very behavior the Constitution prohibits.
Will the EO be effective? That remains to be seen, but it sets a tone and direction for K-12.
The full Executive Order can be read here:
Jeff Reynolds is the author of the book, “Behind the Curtain: Inside the Network of Progressive Billionaires and Their Campaign to Undermine Democracy,” available at www.WhoOwnsTheDems.com. Jeff hosts a podcast at anchor.fm/BehindTheCurtain. You can follow him on Twitter @ChargerJeff, on Parler at @RealJeffReynolds, and on Gab at @RealJeffReynolds.
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