Local school administrators are pushing back on an interim report that rescinded equity initiatives at the Virginia Department of Education and calling on Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration to terminate a tipline for “divisive” teaching.

In a Thursday letter, the Virginia Association of School Superintendents said the recent report made “gross assumptions” about public education in Virginia and failed to solicit input from local school administrators. Members of the association, which represents the state’s 133 local school divisions, first read the report after it was picked by the media, according to Executive Director Ben Kiser. 

Despite the lack of local involvement, Jillian Balow, the state’s superintendent of public instruction, concluded that “discriminatory and divisive concepts” had become widespread in public school divisions.

“We recognize that was a campaign issue,” Kiser said. “However, we’ve never agreed with that. It’s a topic that’s gained traction — a lot of misinformation, a lot of assumptions and very little research as to what’s actually being done in schools. It just got legs and now we’re trying to respond to it as those campaign positions are now becoming policy and legislation.”

The document effectively terminated a series of resources and guidance documents focused on equity and narrowing achievement gaps among student populations. Kiser said the materials had been developed in collaboration with local school leaders and aimed to address demonstrable disparities in the disciplinary measures and standardized test scores between different groups, including low-income learners and students of color.

“When that work was unilaterally rescinded with assumptions that it was all divisive because of the word ‘equity,’ that did raise eyebrows,” he added. Kiser said administrators have also raised concerns with the administration’s push to replace the word “outcomes” with “opportunities” — an initiative they worry will set back progress across the state.

Kiser said that Balow reached out after the association released its letter and that he would continue to encourage regular meetings between the administration and division superintendents. But he said the association considers the governor’s tipline “highly offensive” and still disagreed with many of the statements made by state leaders. Youngkin’s administration has refused to release details about messages sent to the email account associated initiative. 

“I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone, but the use of ‘divisive content’ and how that applies to teaching history — there are many individuals, especially minority superintendents, who consider that to be racist rhetoric,” Kiser said. 

“So, you could imagine how our African American superintendents, who are terrific leaders, are trying to ascertain what the new administration means and what their overall intent is,” he added.

(Editor’s Note: This article has been republished with permission by the Virginia Mercury.)