Margaret Barthel / DCist/WAMU
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and fellow Republicans talk a lot about parents.
“I believe parents belong at the head of the table, making sure they understand who’s in charge of their kids,” Youngkin said at a packed “Parents Matter” discussion with supporters in Leesburg in September.
These discussions, along with his bus tour pushing Republicans to vote early, have been a staple on Youngkin’s campaign schedule this fall as he crisscrosses Virginia hoping to help deliver control of the General Assembly to his party.
For conservatives, “parents’ rights” centers on the idea that parents should be the main decision makers in their children’s education, counteracting what they see as public schools undermining that role. A focus on parents’ rights is by many accounts the key reason Youngkin narrowly won election in 2021.
Youngkin refers to the concept of “parents’ rights” especially often in reference to school culture-war issues. He uses it as a catchall for conservative frustrations over schools’ approaches to talking about race and racism and accommodations for transgender students in public schools — and a belief that those focuses detract from students’ academic success.
Youngkin has delivered on some of his campaign promises on education more generally as governor. His administration has pushed for more school choice options, called for a greater emphasis on student proficiency in test scores (compared to improvement over time), and rolled...
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