‘Making themselves judge and jury’: Winsome Sears calls out school districts defying parental rights policies

(Daily Caller News Foundation) – Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears of Virginia said Tuesday that school boards who defied parental rights policies were “making themselves judge and jury.”

“These are the same school boards who were against the governor’s executive orders to get rid of the masks because that’s what the parents wanted, and they are now in violation of Virginia law and the governor and the attorney general will be making a decision on the next process forward,” Sears told “America Reports” co-hosts Sandra Smith and John Roberts. “But these policies, they are not controversial at all.” 

The Fairfax County Public School District announced Aug. 15 they would not follow new state guidelines that require schools to inform parents on issues surrounding gender identity and bullying. Alexandria City Public School also announced it would not adopt a policy according to the guidance.

“First of all, they say the children will, all children will be given privacy, all children will be respected, and all children will be treated with dignity. Again, nothing controversial,” Sears continued. “The issue is the school boards are making themselves judge and jury and they are, again, pushing education in their own image. You hear them say ‘we have made a determination.’ But actually, you are not following the law and so something is going to have to happen.”

Sears and Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia won the 2021 gubernatorial election in Virginia while campaigning on the issue of parental involvement in education.

The issue gained prominence after members of the Loudoun County School Board were reportedly involved in a secret Facebook group that targeted parents opposed to the use of critical race theory in the system’s curriculum. Parents also objected to the use of pornographic books in classes and accused the school system of covering up a sexual assault by a “gender fluid” student.

“We have got elections coming up this year in Virginia, well, there’s an election every year in Virginia, but we are trying to win back the Senate so that we can put forward more robust laws that really protect parents and their right, and we shouldn’t have to do this, why, because it has already been decided by certain court decisions that, under the 14th Amendment, parents have the responsibility of raising their children,” Sears said. “Now, you are going to ask why should that have to be a court decision? This is the new world that we are living in.”