Zero-Tolerance for Discrimination

Governor Youngkin has placed a strong emphasis on ensuring every educational space in the Commonwealth is free from discrimination in all respects. Virginia is working to center on merit and ensure every student is equipped to reach their full potential, regardless of background. 

Merit Focus 

In 2024, Governor Youngkin signed HB 48, making Virginia the second state in the nation to ban legacy admissions. In 2025, Governor Youngkin signed three bills into law focused on merit: 

• HB 1957 (2025): Governor Youngkin signed into law a bill requiring that 10% of a student’s grade will be determined by their SOL test results  

• HB 2686 (2025): Governor Youngkin signed into law a bill to require school boards to adopt policies to auto-enroll identified high-performing students in more accelerated math courses  

• HB 127 (2022): Governor Youngkin signed into law a bill prohibiting any Governor’s Schol from discriminating on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the admissions process  

Governor Youngkin has also recentered the purpose of education to be preparing students for success in life, including through the 3E readiness framework to prepare students for employment, enlistment, or enrollment.  

This includes the launch of the Virginia Department of Education’s first Office of Advanced Learning to prioritize and elevate advanced and gifted learning, including Governor’s Schools, Governor’s School Summer Programming, and more.  The Virginia Community College System also uses merit-based pay to reward teachers in the hardest-to-serve schools, and we are working to bring the initiative to K-12 schools across the Commonwealth.  

Throughout the Administration, Governor Youngkin has encouraged all universities in Virginia to return to requiring college-readiness assessments for admission.  

Discrimination on the Basis of Race 

The Youngkin Administration believes fully that no student should be given different treatment on the basis of race. This includes the teaching of critical race theory and its progeny, which instruct students to only view life through the lens of race and presumes that some students are consciously or unconsciously racist, sexist, or oppressive, and that other students are victims. This denies our students the opportunity to gain important facts, core knowledge, formulate their own opinions, and to think for themselves. Our children deserve far better from their education than to be told what to think. 

On Day One, Governor Youngkin signed Executive Order 1 Ending the Use of Inherently Divisive Concepts, Including Critical Race Theory, and Restoring Excellence in K-12 Public Education in the Commonwealth.  

Additionally, the Virginia Board of Education revised the History and Social Science Standards, with the new standards emphasizing a more fact-based and non-ideological approach to teaching history – with a focus on clear, measurable learning objectives and content knowledge. 

In alignment with federal actions, the Virginia Department of Education alerted all school divisions of new federal requirements to certify compliance and ensure divisions do not lose federal funding. Governor Youngkin also worked with every public institution of higher education to adopt a Board of Visitors resolution certifying compliance with recent federal executive actions and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to reject DEI discrimination. 

ADOPTED BOARD RESOLUTIONS