Not long after being sworn-in as Virgina’s 74th governor, Glenn Youngkin has already followed through on his Day One promises by signing nine Executive Orders and two Executive Directives. The first two involved the ban on concepts such as Critical Race Theory in public education, and an executive order affirming the rights of parents to make decisions on wearing masks in schools. As expected, these executive orders have been met with an extremity of opinions, from widespread support to disgust.

According to the first executive order, the purpose of this ban on a theory that is not taught in public schools, and was the plan to politicize school boards in an attempt to gain support of far right extremists who have opposed teaching the truth of America’s racist history. This, in spite of a widespread dearth of understanding what it truly is. According to the order, it states “our children deserve far better from their education than to be told what to think.” It is hypocritical to mention that the administration is promoting a “diversity of ideas,” yet willfully admitting that they want to limit the types of topics that are being taught.

Freedom of thought cannot exist when those in power determine what the student is allowed to think. In addition, the order states that “Critical Race Theory and related concepts are teaching our children to engage in the very behavior the Constitution prohibits.” How is explaining why toxic waste dumps primarily located in predominantly Black neighborhoods engaging in non-Constitutional behavior? Or why Black and brown people are denied home loans by banks?

While the first order is designed to eliminate the stain of racism’s past sins, the next order is even more dangerous. Putting the responsibility of mask mandates in the hands of individuals creates a bad precedent. Prince William County has committed to keeping universal masking, and so has Fairfax. However, there will be those who are going to push to remove mask mandates, and it will lead to a “great resignation” among educators and staff who wish not to put themselves and their students at harm’s risk.

If this is what the people of Virginia can expect from the new administration, it will not be long before the commonwealth enters the dark ages of education, with our students left behind to fend for themselves.