• The American Principles Project tore into Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe in an ad released Wednesday, highlighting the Democrat’s comment that parents shouldn’t “be telling schools what they should teach.” 
• On Monday, Attorney General Merrick Garland encouraged the FBI “using its authority” against parents who use violence against or threaten public school officials.
• McAuliffe “has the same views as these school boards and as the Department of Justice, who views these parents as the enemy,” American Principles Project President Terry Schilling said. “He views them as domestic terrorists. He doesn’t think they should have a say in what their kids are learning in school. And he’s the enemy.”

The American Principles Project tore into Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe in an ad released Wednesday, highlighting the Democrat’s comment that parents shouldn’t “be telling schools what they should teach.”

“Terry McAuliffe doesn’t think you should be in charge of your kid’s education,” the ad said. “Parents: it’s time to fight back.”

During a late September gubernatorial debate, Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin challenged McAuliffe on the Democrat’s progressive education stances. (RELATED: A Parent-Led Rebellion Against Critical Race Theory Is Storming School Boards Across The Country)

“I’m not gonna let parents come into schools and actually take books out and make their own decisions,” McAuliffe told Youngkin. “I stopped the bill that I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.”

American Principles Project President Terry Schilling told the Daily Caller News Foundation on Wednesday that “we are in the midst of a war on families” and on the family’s ability to “determine what their children are learning, what they’re exposed to, what they’re allowed to do.”

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“I would argue many corporations are at war with parents and families and children for the hearts, minds, and souls of our kids,” Schilling said.

At least 165 local and national groups have formed to combat Critical Race Theory (CRT) instruction in schools across the U.S., according to an NBC analysis published in June. Many of these groups were founded by parents appalled to discover what was being taught to their children. Their advocacy has launched local CRT debates onto the national stage, spurring far-left activists and establishment media outlets to accuse conservatives of ignorance and, in some cases, racism.

CRT holds that America is fundamentally racist, yet it teaches people to view every social interaction and person in terms of race. Its adherents pursue “antiracism” through the end of merit, objective truth and the adoption of race-based policies.

School districts, such as Loudoun County Public School Systems, often side-step parents’ accusations by pretending the problem does not exist — insisting that they are not implementing CRT. But parents and activists say that the elements of CRT are evident in training, classes, conversations about diversity and equity and reading materials chosen for class, such as books by authors like Ibram X Kendi and Robin DiAngelo.

“It’s out of control,” Schilling said. (RELATED: Virginia Governor’s Race In Dead Heat One Month Out)

He continued: “And nothing could be more clarifying about this war against parents and the American family than what the Department of Justice just did with Merrick Garland,” referring to a Monday memorandum which encouraged the FBI “using its authority” against parents who use violence against or threaten public school officials.

“Threats against public servants are not only illegal, they run counter to our nation’s core values,” wrote Attorney General Garland. “Those who dedicate their time and energy to ensuring that our children receive a proper education in a safe environment deserve to be able to do their work without fear for their safety.”

Schilling insisted “there aren’t any threats,” noting that if there were, these threats would be publicized in every major newspaper and on every major news channel.

“There would be people in jail, but that’s not happening,” he said. “What’s really happening is parents across the country are so outraged that they’re showing up in numbers that these school boards aren’t used to.”

The APP president said that school boards “aren’t used to the heat” or getting any push back. The reason APP decided to run the ad in Virginia is because of what is at stake in this gubernatorial election, Schilling told the DCNF.

“In Virginia you have Terry McAuliffe, who has the same views as these school boards and as the Department of Justice, who views these parents as the enemy,” Schilling said. “He views them as domestic terrorists. He doesn’t think they should have a say in what their kids are learning in school. And he’s the enemy.”

“If parents really care,” Schilling continued, ” if they really want to make sure that they have a say over what their kids are learning and going through in school…then they’re going to make sure that they don’t elect Terry McAuliffe to the governor’s mansion.”

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