The survey, conducted with the Capitol Resource Institute, a parents’ rights organization, is the latest to show how the last two years of school board fights have affected the nation. What started as a clash over teaching critical race theory turned into a broader battle over parental involvement and decision-making during the Glenn Youngkin-McAuliffe gubernatorial campaign.
Near the end of that 2021 campaign, McAuliffe said in a debate that parents should not be determining what goes on in classrooms. He said, “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.” He also said that he was “not going to let parents come into schools and actually take books out and make their own decisions.”
The backlash reportedly helped Youngkin, a Republican businessman, win in the Democratic state and led to a national fight over schools and parents, leading to some talk of a Youngkin 2024 presidential or vice presidential bid. The issue of parents’ rights has been among Youngkin’s top issues as he’s ridden a wave of support in Virginia.