Sub Standard History Standards
IN August of 2022, the Board of Education reviewed new History Standards for Virginia education. Rather than vote to adopt the standards, Superintendent Balow, a Youngkin appointee, suggested postponing the vote until November so that some minor revisions could be made. In November, The Younngkin Administration rewrite was presented.
Where the original standard was over 400 pages long, the new proposal was 53 pages.
Where the original standard addressed Virginia History from many viewpoints and gave a wwell-roundedview of events, these standards were focused on the European American perspective, leaving out entire ethnicities and the contributions of many minority figures
Where the original standard was the result of years of research and review by Historians, Educators, Museums, Parents, and Universities, the new standard was written in a couple of weeks by a partisan Lobbyist.
Uncompromising Compromise
On November 18th, 2022, The Board of Education met to vote on the new standards. They were confronted with a wide array of public speakers in opposition to the new Youngkin SubStandard Standards. For Four hours, people from all over Virginia explained, emoted, and even pleaded with the board that these Standards could not be approved.
In the end, the Board Rejected the Youngkin proposal and asked that it be combined with the August Proposal to form a new compromise.
In January, the new "compromise" was released. A review of this new standard shows that, while the Youngkin administration was more careful to include key history elements it had neglected previously, the curriculum continues to be full of omissions and bias.
Now What?
The Board of Education had a perfectly good proposal in front of it in August that had been contributed to and approved by hundreds of historians, universities, and parents. There is no good-faith reason that those standards could or should not be adopted as-is. Contact the Board of Education, and your representatives and tell them to adopt the August standards.
Address your emails to: Megan.Perez@doe.virginia.gov
cc: BOE@doe.virginia.gov, superintendent@doe.virginia.gov, aimee.guidera@governor.virginia.govContact your Representatives: Who's My Legislator?
Contact the Governor and let him know where you stand
Participate in one of the upcoming public hearings
The public hearings will be held at the following locations:
March 13: Jamestown Settlement, 2110 Jamestown Road, Williamsburg
March 14: George Washington’s Mount Vernon, 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, Mount Vernon.
March 15: Piedmont Community College, 501 College Drive, Charlottesville.
March 16: O. Winston Link & History Museum of Western Virginia, 101 Shenandoah Ave. N.E., Roanoke.
March 20: Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, 1 Partnership Circle, Abingdon.
March 21: Robert Russa Moton Museum, 900 Griffin Blvd., Farmville.