Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is promoting an email address where parents can send their concerns and complaints about “fundamental rights” and “divisive practices” in schools.
The governor explained the purpose of the new email address, helpeducation@governor.virginia.gov, during an interview with conservative radio host John Fredericks.
“….for parents to send us any instances where they feel that their fundamental rights are being violated, where their children are not being respected, where there are inherently divisive practices in their schools,” Youngkin said.
In the interview, he mentioned a recent controversial “privilege bingo” assignment at a Fairfax County public high school.
“We’re asking for folks to send us reports and observations that they have that will help us be aware of things like privilege bingo, be aware of their child being denied their rights that parents have in Virginia. And we’re going to make sure we catalog it all,” Youngkin said.
Youngkin said the complaints will be rooted out.
Some students were asked to play “privilege bingo” at a school in Fairfax County and one of the criteria listed for privilege was coming from a military family. News4’s Aimee Cho spoke with a local family about why that upset them.
Critical race theory was a major topic of Youngkin’s campaign and within hours of his inauguration, he issued an executive order banning CRT in schools, though it’s not part of any public school curriculum.
Loudoun County’s NAACP President Michelle Thomas questioned why parents would need the new email address when they can turn to the Attorney General’s civil rights division with concerns.
“This tip line has to be for everybody not just for his supporters, right?” she said.
Singer John Legend took to social media to urge Black parents to flood the email address with complaints quote “about our history being silenced.”
Several school districts in Northern Virginia that kept mask mandates in place have filed suit against Youngkin, saying his order allowing parents to decide whether their children wear masks or not is unconstitutional and endangers children.
On Monday, Loudoun County parent Heather Jermacans blasted school administrators when they isolated her children after they came to class without a mask.
“No! I’m not picking my child up. She has an IEP and I will call my lawyer next,” Jermacans said via a video phone call to her daughter’s school administrators.
Jermacams said Tuesday that she and her sister, whose kids also attended school unmasked, plan to register complaints through Youngkin’s new parent email portal.
“They are being segregated. They are in a room. They don’t go outside for breaks,” she said. “I can’t even explain the stories they come home with and it’s only been two days.”