NORFOLK, Va. — Less than a week after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to begin dismantling the Department of Education, Virginia state democratic legislators are sharing their outrage.
Specifically, they're calling out the state’s GOP candidates for governor. So WTKR News 3 got reaction from parents and talked with one of the candidates.
Watch: Trump signs Executive Order in continued fight against the Department of Education
Asiah Mack is a mother of two kids in public schools. Her biggest concern as of Monday was for her daughter.
“I’m pretty sure she’s going to want to go to college. But right now, the way it’s looking, she might not be able to," said Mack.
The future of things like grants and student loans are some of the uncertainties that have many people concerned as President Trump moves forward with dismantling the Department of Education.
Watch: Vulnerable students face uncertainty as president orders Department of Education dismantled
“It’s rough because I may not have a job in the future that could pay for her to go," said Mack.
Another mother WTKR News 3 talked with, Elizabeth Branham, said her biggest concern is safety at schools. She said she might start paying more attention to what’s happening now that she has a child.
“As of right now, we’re set on homeschooling. If something big changes, then maybe we would pay more attention to it," Branham said. "With, honestly, all the school shootings and the kids themselves, I would rather home school."
Watch: Parents concerned as Department of Education lays off thousands
“If this executive order is allowed to move unchecked, it would devastate our public schools," said Virginia Del. Michael Feggans, a Democrat who represents part of Hampton Roads.
He was one of three state democratic legislators who spoke to reporters Monday morning via Zoom.
The lawmakers accused Virginia’s Republican candidates for governor of trying to run the state’s education system into the ground.
Watch: 20 attorneys general file lawsuit to block Trump's Education Department cuts
“They’re pushing to defund our system, they’re defending President Trump’s actions, and they’re trying to dismantle our educational system," said Feggans.
"They all have one thing in common, and that is a radical agenda that would leave Virginia students behind," said Virginia Del. Delores McQuinn, who represents Virginia's 81st District.
WTKR News 3 reached out to all three candidates running for the GOP nomination. Amanda Chase is one of them. She is the only one who had responded as of Monday afternoon.
Watch: How the 2024 election could impact the 2025 race for Virginia governor
“The Democratic Party’s already done that. They’ve already run our education system into the ground," Chase said. "We need to return to education being commonsense. The Democrats have taken us off a cliff that no reasonable parent would want their kid to learn.”
Democratic candidate for governor Abigail Spanberger sent WTKR News 3 a statement, which includes a video, of her response to President Trump's executive order. The statement says, in part, "I know that kids, families, and schools across the Commonwealth will bear the brunt of this irresponsible decision."
No matter what students are learning, though, Mack had this message for lawmakers about education: “I would tell them to kind of think about the low-income people instead of the middle class, upper class, because the low-income people is what really needs help right now."
Monday afternoon, the NAACP said in an Instagram post the organization and others were "taking legal action to stop the illegal attempt to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education."
Also on Monday, The National Education Association announced a lawsuit is going to be filed to try to stop Trump from dismantling the Department of Education. According to the NEA, the lawsuit's plaintiffs include the NAACP.
