Virginia's newly governor, Republican Glenn Youngkin, has banned Critical Race Theory from the state's schools, overturned mask mandates and pledged to investigate Loudoun County Schools following an alleged rape at a high school.
Youngkin pledged to 'restore trust in government and to restore power to the people' after he was sworn into office on Saturday and quickly put pen to paper to introduce a host of executive orders.
Within hours of taking office, the governor issued nine executive orders and two executive directives that saw him rescind a vaccine mandate for all state employees.
He also said that parents must be the ones to decide whether their children wear masks in schools.
School districts will be able to keep mask recommendations in place, but parents can choose not to follow them.
'The way that Virginia works is that the governor cannot ban mask mandates. Schools make those decisions. We will in fact, then, also make sure that schools allow parents to exercise their rights for what's best for their children, to opt-out of those mandates,' Youngkin explained.
Gov. elect Glenn Youngkin waves to the crowd before his inauguration ceremony
Glenn Youngkin and wife Suzanne arrive before his inauguration ceremony on Saturday in Richmond, Virginia
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed 11 executive orders following his swearing in ceremony on Saturday
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, second from left, addresses the media as he prepares to sign executive orders in the Governors conference room as Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, left, Attorney General Jason Miyares, second from right, and Secretary of the Commonwealth, Kay Cole James, right, look on at the Capitol in Richmond, Virginia
A press release described Youngkin's swift actions in greater detail:
'Executive Order Number One delivers on his Day One promise to restore excellence in education by ending the use of divisive concepts, including Critical Race Theory, in public education,' the release from Youngkin's office read.
'Executive Order Number Two delivers on his Day One promise to empower Virginia parents in their children's education and upbringing by allowing parents to make decisions on whether their child wears a mask in school,' the release continued.
In a statement on the executive orders, Youngkin added, 'The work is only beginning.'
'The important steps we are taking today begins the work of restoring excellence in education, making our communities safer, opening Virginia for business and reinvigorating job growth, and making government work for the people, and not the other way around,' he said.
The repeal of the mask mandate may well be challenged in court given that it contradicts a law passed by the state's General Assembly which requires schools to take measures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Virginia is not the only state to ban the teaching of Critical Race Theory - several others have already done so.
Youngkin called CRT 'political indoctrination' in his executive order.
'This denies our students the opportunity to gain important facts, core knowledge, formulate their own opinions, and to think for themselves,' the order reads. 'Our children deserve far better from their education than to be told what to think.'
Youngkin also signed an order that bans the teaching of Critical Race Theory which was a major focus of his 2021 campaign
On the matter of Critical Race Theory, a decisive issue during the Governor's race, parents voiced their frustration with the state's woke school boards who don't want their children to be taught that they're bad or good depending on their race.
The use of critical race theory, or CRT, in education has been criticized for its message that the US is built on racism with skin color determining the social, economic, and political differences between each.
Advocates say its teaching is necessary to underline how deeply racism pervades society, critics say it is divisive and paints everyone as a victim or oppressor, with multiple Virginia school board meetings making headlines after parents were filmed clashing with staff over the decision to teach it.
Governor Youngkin pledged to ban CRT, seizing on the discontent of parents who had grown agitated after the Loudon County school board announced a $6million 'equity-training' program that parents associated with CRT.
The tight Youngkin-McAuliffe race took a turn after the Republican newcomer pledged to ban CRT.
'Our schools are teaching our kids what to think as opposed to how to think. We're going to go in on day one and re-establish excellence in schools,' Youngkin said during an interview with Sean Hannity before the election.
Loudon County, a Democratic stronghold in northern Virginia, became the focal point of debate over woke policies by school boards across the country.
Last April, the county announced that it planned to allocate more than $6 million to 'equity training' which was met with strong opposition by some residents.
Parents claimed that training was part of a pro-CRT push which would lead to students seeing themselves as victims or oppressors, depending on their race.
Protests then reignited in September, when the school board voted 6-3 in favor of beginning a study into whether it would be appropriate to give reparations to black people after it previously ignored a landmark desegregation ruling.
Youngkin said he would banned CRT from schools and said he would open an investigation into the Loudoun County School Board.
Also sworn in was Virginia's new Attorney General Jason Miyares who within hours of taking office announced investigations into the Virginia Parole Board and Loudoun County Public Schools releasing a statement explaining his equally swift actions.
'One of the reasons Virginians get so fed up with government is the lack of transparency - and that's a big issue here,' Miyares began.
'The Virginia Parole Board broke the law when they let out murders, rapists, and cop killers early on their sentences without notifying the victims which he said raises 'questions about the lawfulness of the abrupt reversals of these decisions.'
Also sworn in was Virginia's new Attorney General Jason Miyares who within hours of taking office announced investigations into the Virginia Parole Board and Loudoun County Public Schools releasing a statement explaining his equally swift actions
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares stands with his daughter, Sophia, watch a parade during the inauguration ceremony, Saturday
Loudoun Country Public Schools, meanwhile, 'covered up a sexual assault on school grounds for political gain, leading to an additional assault of a young girl.'
Indeed, Virginia's Loudoun County was a focal point in Youngkin's gubernatorial race against former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe after a skirt-wearing 14-year-old male high school student, identifying as non-binary, was arrested over the rape of a female student in a school bathroom.
That male student was then transferred to a different school where he then allegedly raped another student.
The district has been accused of covering up the crime and saw one of the alleged victim's parents arrested at a school board meeting.
The student involved has been placed on the sex offenders registry for life as part of his sentence.
Miyares also told around 30 staff members informing them they will no longer be employed by the attorney general's office.
Despite facing such partisan issues, during his inaugural speech, Youngkin struck a tone of unity as he reached out across the aisle.
'Today we stand together on behalf of Virginians who've never lost faith, even when they suffered loss. Of Virginians who have not stopped dreaming of a better life, even in the midst of trials and tribulation,' he said in front of the historic state Capitol to thousands of enthusiastic spectators.
'My fellow Virginians, the spirit of Virginia is alive and well. And together we will strengthen it.'
'No matter who you voted for, I pledge to be your advocate, your voice, your governor,' said the Republican, a former private equity executive and newcomer to politics.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, right, walks with his wife, Suzzanne Youngkin, during the gubernatorial inauguration ceremony
Youngkin´s inaugural speech was part of a weekend of pomp and circumstance in Richmond as Virginia´s newly elected GOP leaders took office. Attorney General Jason Miyares and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears also were sworn in during the outdoor ceremony.
The moment opened a new chapter of governance in a state where Democrats had spent the past two years in full control of government and occupied the governor's mansion for the past eight.
Youngkin acknowledged the devastation caused by the coronavirus pandemic, including the more than 15,000 Virginians who have died, and pledged to lead the state to a 'new and better day.' While Youngkin encourages those eligible to get vaccinated, among his first acts as governor was ending a vaccine requirement for state workers.
He also sounded his campaign themes, pledging to cut taxes, 'remove politics from the classroom,' raise teacher and law enforcement pay, and boost the economy.
As omicron infections fill hospitals with unvaccinated patients in Virginia and around the country, he vowed to keep children in schools, emphasizing the importance of in-person education and acknowledging the toll virtual schooling has taken on working parents, especially mothers.
'We know that when our children don't go to school it harms their learning and development. So let me be clear - we must keep our children in school five days a week,' he said.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam heads to his seat before an inauguration ceremony for Gov. elect Glenn Youngkin
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam greets Gov. elect Glenn Youngkin as Pam Northam, left, embraces Suzanne Youngkin before the inauguration ceremony
Miss Virginia Tatum Sheppard stands in a crowd ahead of the inauguration ceremony
References to Virginia's long history and America's Founding Fathers were woven through the address, but Youngkin also acknowledged the country's 'chapters of great injustice.'
He credited 'barrier-breakers' like former Gov. Doug Wilder, the nation's first elected Black governor, with leading the way for the inauguration of Miyares and Earle-Sears, who both made history themselves. Miyares is first Latino to serve in the position and Earle-Sears is the first woman of color to serve in a statewide office.
Youngkin said their election showed that 'Virginia is big enough for the hopes and dreams of a diverse people.'
Shortly before the ceremony began, Virginia´s former governors met with Youngkin and outgoing Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam inside the Capitol.
Every living governor but Youngkin´s opponent in last year's election, Terry McAuliffe, was in attendance. McAuliffe tweeted that he and his wife were 'quarantining due to a close COVID contact in the interest of health and safety' and wished Youngkin well.
Youngkin, Northam and their wives - Suzanne Youngkin and Pam Northam - also participated in a cordial Executive Mansion key exchange ceremony.
Northam, who like all Virginia governors was prohibited from seeking a second consecutive term, assured Youngkin that the key card he handed over still worked, despite having been chewed up by the family's dog, Pearl.
Youngkin is the state's 74th governor and the first Republican to hold the office since Bob McDonnell left it in 2014.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is sworn into office as his wife Suzanne looks on at the State Capitol in Richmond, Virginia
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, third from right, and his wife, Suzanne, third from left, offer a prayer along with Attorney General Jason Miyares, second from right, his wife, Page, as well as Lt. gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, second from left and her husband, Terence, left, join in
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin holds a basketball tossed to him by the members of Norfolk Academy basketball team during a parade after he was sworn in during the gubernatorial inauguration ceremony
The 55-year-old former collegiate basketball player, who accumulated a personal fortune during a career at the Carlyle Group, defeated McAuliffe last year in part by seizing on parental frustrations about school closures and references to race in classrooms.
While Donald Trump endorsed him, the former president never campaigned with him, enabling Youngkin to mobilize the GOP base without turning off suburban voters in a state that has long trended blue.
Voters also elected a GOP majority to the House of Delegates, leaving the Democrats with just a narrow 21-19 majority in the state Senate as a check on Republican ambitions. Earle-Sears will preside over that chamber, with the ability to cast tie-breaking votes.
Senate Democrats congratulated the governor and said they look forward to working with him but signaled their willingness to fight to protect their party's achievements.
'Let me be clear: Senate Democrats have no intention rolling back two years of tremendous progress for all Virginians - not only a select few,' caucus chair Mamie Locke said in a statement.
Saturday's ceremony included a traditional blessing of the ground by representatives of Virginia´s Indian tribes, and a prayer led by Youngkin, who made his Christian faith a key part of his campaign.
A celebratory parade kicked off after the ceremony. Youngkin then headed to his Capitol office, where he signed nine executive orders and two executive directives covering a range of topics, from ending the vaccine requirement to establishing a commission on human trafficking.
He also ordered Virginia's removal from a carbon cap-and-trade program, a move whose full implications were not immediately clear.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, center, signs executive orders in the Governors conference room as Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, left, Suzanne Youngkin, Second from left, Attorney General Jason Miyares, second from right, and Secretary of the Commonwealth, Kay Cole James, right, look on at the Capitol in Richmond, Virginia
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is sworn into office as his wife Suzanne looks on at the Capitol on Saturday
The appointments of his cabinet secretaries, who took their oaths of office at the Executive Mansion, remain contingent on legislative approval, with at least one opposed by many Senate Democrats.
Saturday's planned festivities included a large downtown party featuring the Zac Brown Band in lieu of what's typically a more formal affair. Attendees were encouraged to wear patriotic colors, cowboy boots or a 'Glenn vest,' like the red fleece type the candidate favored while campaigning.
Youngkin also helped Friday to landscape an area along the Richmond Slave Trail, which commemorates how the city became a major hub in the trading of enslaved people before the Civil War. He also took part in a $10,000-a-ticket candlelit black-tie reception held at a science museum Friday evening.
A prayer breakfast preceded the inauguration Saturday morning, and the weekend was scheduled to wrap up Sunday with an open house at the Executive Mansion.
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