Education Under Attack: Will Virginia Stand Up?

I urge you to take immediate steps to shield our Commonwealth’s students and schools from the growing threat posed by federal efforts to dismantle the Department of Education. These cuts jeopardize Title I funding, IDEA grants, Pell Grants, and civil rights enforcement—lifelines for low-income students, students with disabilities, and historically underserved communities. I respectfully call on you to: 1 Publicly affirm Virginia’s commitment to civil rights in education ◦ Issue an executive statement pledging continued enforcement of Title VI, Title IX, and IDEA protections in Virginia public schools—especially if the federal Office for Civil Rights is gutted. ◦ Source: State-level civil rights enforcement mechanisms have been used in states like California and New York to fill federal gaps during DOE cutbacks or rollbacks (Ed Trust, 2023). 2 Create a Virginia Education Stabilization Fund ◦ Allocate state surplus or rainy-day funds to ensure continuity of services if federal Title I or special education grants are reduced or delayed. ◦ Source: In 2020, Massachusetts created a state reserve fund to buffer pandemic-era education cuts (Mass Budget and Policy Center, 2021). 3 Protect academic freedom and critical thinking in classrooms ◦ Veto or oppose legislation that censors curriculum or limits teacher autonomy under the guise of “divisive concepts” bans. ◦ Promote media literacy and civic education to build student resilience against disinformation and extremist ideology. ◦ Source: Research from PEN America and the ACLU shows that anti-critical thinking laws harm educational outcomes and suppress historically marginalized perspectives. 4 Maintain strong partnerships with local school divisions and universities ◦ Host a Governor’s Education Summit focused on supporting vulnerable learners in a time of federal instability. ◦ Work with local superintendents, higher ed leaders, and students to identify gaps in services that the state must step in to fill. ◦ Source: Virginia’s own history of state-university coordination during the COVID-19 crisis showed the power of proactive leadership in keeping education systems whole. 5 Advocate publicly and legally against the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education ◦ Join a bipartisan coalition of governors in opposing harmful cuts to federal education infrastructure. ◦ Explore legal options to protect Virginia’s share of federal funding in case of executive overreach. ◦ Source: In 2017 and 2020, several states joined federal lawsuits and filed amicus briefs when federal actions threatened student rights (National Governors Association, 2020). Why this matters: Undermining public education is a fast track to undermining democracy. Students who lack access to facts, inclusive histories, and basic supports are more vulnerable to political manipulation, disinformation, and disengagement. We cannot allow Virginia’s children to become collateral damage in a political power play.