Parents in Virginia are relieved that their state's Department of Education has released a draft proposal to overhaul the state's history and social science learning standards. The roughly 400-page proposed draft replaces the leftist standards proposed under the previous administration led by Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat.
Victoria Cobb, president of the Family Foundation of Virginia, says Gov. Glenn Youngkin (pictured above) has been able to appoint five conservative board members. The state superintendent had recommended delaying a vote on the new standards to allow those new members time to review the document.
"Governor Youngkin was able to capture a majority of the appointment powers in the board in his first year, which is a remarkable thing the way that occurred," Cobb tells AFN. "But I think parents are very thankful that that is the new direction of the board."
ABC-affiliate WRIC in Richmond reports, however, that the Virginia Education Association isn't on board, arguing the proposed draft "represents the worst kind of politically motivated meddling with academic curriculum" and claiming the standards contain "overt political bias, outdated language [and] coded racist overtures."
According to Cobb, the Virginia Education Association isn't focused on making sure children get all the facts about history, preferring instead the left-wing ideology found in critical race theory. "Unfortunately, parents can't count on the teachers' association anymore to be looking out for the best academic interests of the children," she adds.
WRIC reports the proposed standards are in line with how Youngkin spoke about parental rights during his gubernatorial campaign.
If the new standards are approved by the board early next year, they will be implemented for the 2024-25 school year.
