Secrecy Surrounds Glenn Youngkin’s Toxic School "Tip Line"

During the last gubernatorial campaign here in Virginia, when it quickly became clear that Glenn Youngkin was the darling of The Family Foundation, one of Virginia's most insidious hate groups which has a white Christian nationalist agenda, I and others knew that Youngkin would not be good for Virginia and most certainly not good for a quality public school system.  Taking advantage of a gaffe by his opponent and fanning the flames of racism which is never far beneath the surface in this state, especially outside of urban areas, Youngkin managed to win the governor's mansion. He immediately signed an executive order banning the teaching of "critical race theory" - which was not ever taught in Virginia's public schools - and "divisive" topics in Virginia's public schools and suggested teachers "out" LGBT students to their parents.  If one knows The Family Foundation and its agenda, anything that involves an accurate teaching of Virginia's and America's history is deemed divisive as in any reference to the existence and equal rights and common humanity of LGBT individuals.  Despite Youngkin's lip service, Virginia has gone from "welcoming for all" to something very different.  Indeed, Virginia has lost its top ranking as best state in which to do business and the "tip line" Youngkin has established to allow a vigliante style policing of "divisive" issues in public schools is like something out of Putin's Russia. Meanwhile, Younkin refuses to allow the public to know what his secret police style tip line is generating. As an editorial in the Washington Post lays out, Youngkin is facing two lawsuits to force disclosure of what he is doing with his "tip line."  Here are editorial excerpts:

Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) took office this year with a double message for his fellow Virginians, encouraging them to “love your neighbor” while also urging them to use a new tip line to complain about “divisive” school teaching.

In fact, announced just days after his inauguration, Mr. Youngkin’s email tip line itself turned out to be divisive. He asked “folks to send us reports and observations” on objectionable material being taught at schools, adding that the state would “catalogue it all.” The “divisive” material he had in mind, as he made clear in his first executive order, dealt with race, although he defined his terms so gauzily that they could mean almost anything.

The tip line triggered criticism, anger and mockery in Virginia and beyond. The association representing all 133 of Virginia’s local school superintendents wrote to Mr. Youngkin, pointing out that the tip line “impedes positive relationships,” and pleading with him to scrap it. He refused.

If Mr. Youngkin’s tip line has sent any message to teachers, it is: Big Brother is watching, and he won’t tell you what he’s found out.

A dozen news organizations, including The Post, filed a lawsuit in April seeking access to the tip line’s submissions. Those submissions — rendered through a public channel, at the behest of a public official, with the ostensible purpose of modifying the material taught at public schools — should be public. American Oversight, an ethics watchdog organization, and the law firm Ballard Spahr filed a second lawsuit this month. It seeks similar information, including how the Youngkin administration has responded to tip line submissions.

Heather Sawyer, American Oversight’s executive director, said in a statement. “What is it about this program that they don’t want the public to see?”

In response, the Youngkin administration so far has stonewalled, with officials saying, preposterously, that tip line submissions should be regarded as the governor’s “working papers and correspondence” and therefore somehow beyond the reach of the public domain.

The tip line could intimidate teachers, sending the message that they should tread carefully, particularly on instruction involving race, or avoid such topics altogether. That was the unmistakable gist of Mr. Youngkin’s first executive order, “on ending the use of inherently divisive concepts, including critical race theory” — which is not taught in the state’s public schools.

Students should learn how to be engaged, thoughtful citizens. By setting out an ambiguous taboo and inviting Virginians to report secretly on those who might run afoul of it, Mr. Youngkin has risked making it harder for teachers to promote this sort of learning. He should be required to disclose the results.

Come the next legislative session, expect Youngkin to add a "don't say gay bill" to his agenda of turning back public education to the 1950's.