Virginia’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe is trying to clarify a previous comment, in which he said that parents should not tell schools what to teach.
“I’m not going to let parents come into schools and actually take books out and make their own decisions,” he said. “I stopped the bill and I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.”
The statement has since faced much criticism, including from Youngkin, who launched a “Parents Matter” campaign to mobilize families and parents to “reject Terry McAuliffe’s attempts to silence parents and stand between them and their children’s education.”
“As parents, Dorothy and I have always been involved in our kids’ education,” McAuliffe said. “We know good schools depend on involved parents.”
“That’s why I want you to hear this from me: Glenn Youngkin’s taking my words out of context,” he continued. “I’ve always valued the concerns of parents. It’s why as governor, we scaled back standardized testing, expanded pre-K, and invested a billion dollars in public schools.”
In response, the Youngkin campaign alleged in a statement that McAuliffe actually meant what he said during the debate, and that it is too late for him to backtrack on that controversial statement.
“Two weeks before Election Day, Terry McAuliffe is struggling to save his campaign,” said Youngkin spokesman Macaulay Porter, noting that McAuliffe has repeatedly doubled down on his initial remarks over the past three weeks. “But it’s too late—Terry showed us his heart. This is what he believes.”
Home to some of the nation’s highest-achieving schools, Virginia has recently made national headlines because of controversies around education, including the incorporation of critical race theory (CRT) in classrooms, and the new model policies encouraging school districts to allow transgender students to use restrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity.
