Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R-Va.) criticized two proposals from the state’s department of education that would remove honorary titles for two of America’s Founding Fathers on standardized tests.
As reported by Fox News, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) put forward two proposals that would have seen George Washington’s title of “Father of our Country” and James Madison’s title of “Father of the Constitution” struck from state exams. Both of the Founders and Presidents were natives of the commonwealth of Virginia.
On Tuesday, Youngkin expressed his disapproval of the suggestions, noting that they were first proposed during the administration of his predecessor, Ralph Northam (D-Va.).
“I believe we should tell our history accurately, the good and the bad,” said Youngkin. “And part of the history we’re going to tell is that our Founding Fathers, including George Washington and James Madison, and let’s not forget about Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry, and the others, played an extraordinary role in the founding of our nation.”
Following the governor’s criticisms, the VDOE issued a statement confirming that the inclusion of the two proposals from the prior administration was an “inadvertent” error.
Youngkin referred back to how the issue of public education was arguably the key focus of his successful gubernatorial campaign last year, when he pulled off an upset victory against former Governor Terry McAuliffe (D-Va.).
“This is a moment for Republican candidates to recognize that that’s a Republican agenda. And education is what Virginians voted for last year and Americans are looking for,” Youngkin continued. “Parents matter, and what so many people are seeing across this nation is that is the systematic effort to put bureaucrats and politicians between between parents and their children and this idea that parents should be removed from their kids.”