Advocacy groups hosted a “Virginia Families First” rally in Loudoun County on Saturday, calling for change and parental rights in the public school system.
Hosted by CatholicVote and Fight For Schools, the rally — held in front of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors building — urged Catholic and Christian Virginians to vote against “liberal politicians” and fix the public school system.
“America is watching Loudoun County. All of America, and [they] have been inspired by parents stepping forward to annoy [Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate] Terry McAuliffe by actually trying to have a say in their child’s education,” former Attorney General Ken Cucinelli said. “The nerve, the nerve of you parents, who of course, we Catholics, and all Christians believe that parents are the educators.”
At the Tuesday gubernatorial debate, McAuliffe argued that parents should not advise schools on the content taught to their children. During his term as governor in 2016, he vetoed the “Beloved” bill that would have allowed parents to be notified of their child’s potential exposure to “sexually explicit books” and to opt their children out of any lessons they deem as inappropriate.
Parents angrily responded to the Fairfax County High School allegedly presenting two books that contained “sexually explicit material” without their knowledge or consent. The school removed the books “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe and “Lawn Boy” by Jonathan Evison for allegedly containing descriptions of masturbation and pedophilia.
A local parent, Joe Mobley, said that the school system has gotten rid of advanced curriculums and that the children will be “toast” because they will not be properly educated. He argued it is partially the parents’ fault along with the teachers and the “radical, progressive school boards.”
Patty Hidalgo Menders, a local mother and president of the Loudoun County Republican Women’s Club, argued that parents must “push back” against the public school system, and fight for the “hearts and souls” of the children. (RELATED: Anti-Critical Race Theory Organization Launches $500,000 Ad Campaign Criticizing Loudoun County School Board)
“The Left wants to divide us. We need to protect the very freedoms of our children in the schools,” Hidalgo Menders said at the rally. “We need to push back against dividing our children by the color of their skin, we need to push back against there being victims and oppressors, we need to push back against allowing boys to use girlfriends, removing father-daughter dances, and fundamentally changing the culture of our children’s schools.”
“We must be courageous, courage begets courage. This is a battle for the hearts and souls of our children. And one important way you can fight back is at the ballot box,” Hidalgo Menders said at the rally.
The Loudoun County school system has come under fire for its teachings on race, sex and gender, leading several parents have rallied against the school system mainly for its teachings on Critical Race Theory.
The Loudoun County School Public Schools Minority Student Achievement Advisory Committee said in March that they will “silence” parents and guardians opposed to CRT, which holds that America is fundamentally racist, yet teaches every person to view every social interaction and person in terms of race.
The rally urged the participants to vote in the upcoming Nov. 2 Virginia election, where McAuliffe and his Republican opponent Glenn Youngkin hope to become the next governor.
