HAMPTON ROADS, Va. - Governor Youngkin has created a helpline for parents, teachers, and students to report their concerns, input, or to ask any question.
"The governor’s office set up helpeducation@governor.virginia.gov as a resource for parents, teachers, and students to relay any questions or concerns. Governor Youngkin was elected to serve all Virginians and has utilized a customary constituent service, to hear from Virginians and solicit feedback," the governor's spokesperson Macaulay Porter states.
The governor recently was on WJFN radio to discuss his recently signed executive orders, including removing the mask mandate from schools and banning critical race theory from classrooms.
Youngkin tells parents to trust the legal process on the radio interview when asked what parents should do if a school defies the executive order. He tells Virginian parents that he won't stop fighting for their fundamental rights.
During the WJFN interview, Youngkin explained what his first executive order thatbans "inherently divisive concepts, including Critical Race Theory" from being taught in schools means.
"We are indeed going to teach all history. The good and the bad. But we are going to get these inherently divisive teaching practices out of the classroom," he said.
Youngkin gave an example of how a Fairfax County school played a privileged bingo game in a high school classroom.
During the interview, Youngkin announced the purpose of the tip line. He says parents can use the email to report if their fundamental rights are violated, if their children aren't being respected, or if there are any divisive concepts, like CRT, being taught in school.
"We're asking for input right from parents to make sure that we can go right to the source as we continue to make sure that Virginia's education system is on the path for reestablished excellence," the governor said.
We spoke with local parents to find out their reactions to the newly formed tip line.
One parent in favor, Lindsey Bohon, tells us she supports this idea.
"I worry about deliberate ideologies being taught - rather than appropriate content and context. There should be a place to report it," she said. She also added that she feels the first step is to contact the teacher with any issue.
A Chesapeake parent and teacher says the word divisive is very subjective and asks who even determines what is divisive.
"This just drives a bigger wedge into something that's already fractured," Amanda Lambert, a parent and teacher of Chesapeake Public Schools.
Another Chesapeake teacher tells us she is strongly against the tip line. She says this feels like the 60's all over again.
"This is going to create absolutely 100% make the teacher shortage a bigger and bigger problem," Joy Gavin, a Chesapeake teacher says.
To report any concerns or to ask a question, email helpeducation@governor.virginia.gov
