The Latest from VEA

MEDIA ADVISORY

VEA President James J. Fedderman made the following statement today regarding the establishment of a “tip line” by Governor Youngkin:

A full and complete education must be rooted in facts and truth, even if some of those are difficult facts, and even if some of those are unfortunate truths about the history of Virginia and the United States. An honest and open exploration of our nation’s history is what we need to come together as a country, and to label it anything else is inaccurate and simply a distraction. It seems it is easier for politicians to start a divisive culture war than deal head-on with the real problems facing our schools.

Since the start of his campaign for Governor, Glenn Youngkin has blatantly attempted to pit educators against parents for political gain, seeming to forget that many educators are also parents. When the Governor speaks of “parents’ rights”, he seems interested in speaking only to those who conveniently support his political beliefs. Now, barely two weeks into his administration, he has managed to sow chaos and division throughout the Commonwealth with his unconstitutional executive orders and poorly conceived “hotline” designed to intimidate educators simply trying to do their jobs. The Governor has not created a reporting mechanism for any other professionals in the Commonwealth – we question why he has singled out Virginia educators, and only educators, for this additional scrutiny now.

Instead of feeling threatened by this blatantly political tactic, we encourage educators and parents to report to Governor Youngkin the amazing things going on in Virginia classrooms on a daily basis. Despite his best efforts to divide us, these are the stories of kindness, professionalism, perseverance, and exceptionalism that bring parents, students, and educators together. The email address is helpeducation@governor.virginia.gov.