How this suburban school board became the hottest issue in the Virginia governor’s race – By Lindsay Schnell and Alia Wong (USA TODAY) / Nov 2 2021
Earlier this year, Loudoun County Public Schools, a Virginia district in the suburbs of Washington, released a plan to make its campuses more equitable and inclusive, following a nationwide trend.
Now, the fallout from those initiatives, and the heavily criticized school board that authorized them, is at the crux of one of the country’s highest-profile gubernatorial races. Loudoun County, home of the nation’s highest median household income, has become a tinderbox: Meetings have spiraled into violence, accusations of student sexual assault are dominating headlines, and some parents have sued the school board over the district’s equity initiatives.
Democrat Terry McAuliffe is set to square off against Republican Glenn Youngkin in what’s become a bitter referendum on school board controversies across the country. School districts have become America’s latest political battleground, with conservatives frequently waging war over diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives that many districts adopted in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the country’s most recent racial reckoning.
