Youngkin “is shamefully appointing Meg Scalia Bryce” – who “supports book banning, discrimination against LGBTQ students,” etc. – “to the state board of education”

It looks like Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who has moved further and further right as time (including endorsing Donald Trump for president, enthusiastically campaigning for him, etc.) has gone by, today appointed Meg Scalia Bryce to the Virginia Board of Education (h/t Jack Tueting, who was the first to post about this).

To learn more about Meg Scalia Bryce, see The Most Important Race You Haven’t Heard Of: Antonin Scalia’s Daughter Is Running for Albemarle County School Board, and She’s as Extreme as You’d Think She’d Be and Video: At NAACP School Board Forum, Republican Candidate Meg Scalia Bryce (Antonin Scalia’s Daughter) Says, “It has to be okay for some people to be able to say, ‘Well…I don’t agree that there is systemic racism’”. A few highlights from those articles include:

• “Scalia Bryce has vocally opposed ACPS’s antiracism policy, criticized legal protections for LGBTQIA+ students, and praised vouchers that would divert taxpayer funds to private and parochial schools. Scalia Bryce is supported by right-wing donors, including a former Youngkin appointee who spewed false narratives about the Civil War (including comparing Abraham Lincoln to Vladimir Putin), and another donor who publicly made bigoted comments about Muslims.  Scalia Bryce personally donated to Republicans, and she publicly appeared at the White House with Donald Trump in 2019. Notably, Scalia Bryce is running for the Albemarle County School Board even though she pulled her own children out of public schools for ideological reasons.”
• Scalia Bryce: “When we talk about systemic racism, I think that there needs to be an openness about, you know, not everybody agrees that there is systemic racism. And it has to be okay for people to disagree about that [i.e. systemic racism not existing]… I think that we need to be able to have debates, and it has to be okay for some people to be able to say, ‘Well, I do recognize that racism exists and there are racist people in the system. I don’t agree that there is systemic racism.’ And I don’t think somebody should be shamed into silence for expressing that.”
• “This statement follows her comments at the Crozet Leadership Team’s Forum on September 11th, where Bryce stated she opposes ACPS’ anti-racism and culturally-responsive teaching policies. Furthermore, Bryce has accepted campaign contributions from an individual who has defended secession, praised confederate monuments, and likened President Lincoln to Vladimir Putin, as well as an individual who paid for Islamophobic billboards.”

Yikes! Fortunately, Scalia Bryce got CRUSHED in her Albemarle School Board race last November, losing 62%-38% to Democrat Allison Spillman. But now, Youngkin – who the WaPo and others in the media falsely propagandized as some sort of “moderate” in the 2021 election! – has yet again shown how hard right he is, continuing to stack the Virginia Board of Education with right wingnuts like Bryce. And unfortunately, even if/when we elect Abigail Spanberger governor in November 2025, it’s going to take a while to undo all the damage Youngkin has done, including to public education in Virginia.