From day one on the campaign trail, Governor Glenn Youngkin has railed against critical race theory, and now we see his rhetoric become policy.

During his campaign, Youngkin took advantage of the fact that few people understand critical race theory. With what PW Perspective has called the “New Southern Strategy,” Youngkin used critical race theory to spark fear and hate along the campaign trail, making outlandish claims that it was being taught in public schools across Virginia. In reality, critical race theory is a graduate-level concept that is primarily used in law school. It is not being taught in Virginia’s public schools; most public school students could not even begin to grasp theory on that level.

Weeding out the elusive critical race theory in Virginia’s curricula was such a priority for Youngkin that his first executive order banned it along with “divisive concepts,” a vague term that could be applied to anything that makes anyone uncomfortable. A ban of divisive concepts could potentially disrupt every aspect of how history and social studies are taught in Virginia’s public schools. We cannot ignore the fact that history is fundamentally divisive; war, poverty, and segregation are fundamental parts of American history. Banning divisive concepts bans most of the content in our history textbooks.

 In order to enforce this ban, the Youngkin Administration implemented a hotline where people could report educators who are violating the policy. This was a horrifically authoritarian move for any politician to make. It is nothing more than gross government overreach and a fear tactic to hinder our teachers.

Last week, Youngkin went as far as to ban the use of the word equity in educational resources. The administration also released an interim report that outlined how the administration intends to reverse equity initiatives in the education system and further ban divisive concepts. This move was met with a backlash from educators, including every single superintendent in Virginia.

In a statement released on Thursday, the Virginia Association of Superintendents expressed their opposition to Youngkin’s education policies including his disruption of content and his tip line for reporting educators. In the statement, the Association said that Youngkin’s policies could set Virginia’s education system back many years, and that is not an exaggeration.

Credit where credit is due. Youngkin is holding true to his deranged campaign promises, but he is doing so at the expense of the people of Virginia. These policies are authoritarian, irrational, and anti-education.

History is divisive. And in a lot of cases, it is, or at least it should be, one-sided. There is no way to put a positive spin on slavery or segregation or the cultural genocide of America’s indigenous people.

If we are going to defend Virginia’s public schools, teachers, and students, then we have to fight back against Youngkin’s dangerous policies. If we don’t, Virginia’s public schools will only get worse.