Virginia Republican Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin announced on Monday that he has selected Aimee Rogstad Guidera to serve as the new Secretary of Education of the commonwealth, as the new conservative administration seeks to “restore excellence” in public education.
“Today, I announced Aimee Rogstad Guidera as your next Secretary of Education of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Aimee understands that Parents Matter & will go to work on Day One to restore excellence in our education system by putting your children first,” Youngkin tweeted on Monday.
Today, I announced Aimee Rogstad Guidera as your next Secretary of Education of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Aimee understands that Parents Matter & will go to work on Day One to restore excellence in our education system by putting your children first.https://t.co/ucJdojzt3W
— Glenn Youngkin (@GlennYoungkin) December 20, 2021
“Aimee will be a critical partner in restoring expectations of excellence; overseeing a record education budget to invest in teachers, facilities and special education; rolling out innovation lab and charter schools; and standing for a curriculum that prepares Virginia’s children for a dynamic future and removes politics from the classroom,” Youngkin said in a statement.
“A nationally recognized leader, Aimee is deeply respected for her distinguished career advocating for innovation and choice, data-driven reform, and high standards, and will apply these principles in order to implement the Day One Game Plan. Most importantly, she understands that parents matter, and the best interests of students must come first. Her leadership, intellect, and talent will be tremendous assets as we ensure Virginia kids are the best prepared in the country to succeed, and that they are taught how to think, not what to think. She will help us recharge a system that has settled for too long,” he added.
Guidera has most recently served as president of Guidera Strategy. The newly-selected Education Secretary also previously founded and led, Data Quality Campaign (DQC).
Youngkin’s campaign strongly focused on education, as concerns in Loudoun County schools drew nationwide attention. The county’s often-volatile school board meetings included concerns over Critical Race Theory, gender-related bathroom concerns, and two cases of a student involved in sexual assault allegations.
Following Youngkin’s November win, Drew Wilder of NBC Washington noted, “Attorney General-Elect Jason Miyares says he and Gov-Elect Youngkin will look to change Virginia law to allow the AG authority to step in when local officials feel the Commonwealth’s Attorney is not doing an adequate job. Miyares specifically references northern Virginia.” He added, “AG-Elect Jason Miyares says he intends to investigate the sexual assault incidents in Loudoun County Public Schools.”
NEW – AG-Elect Jason Miyares says he intends to investigate the sexual assault incidents in Loudoun County Public Schools.@nbcwashington https://t.co/uWZuGzHdwm
— Drew Wilder (@DrewWilderTV) November 4, 2021
As Luke Rosiak of The Daily Wire reported in a blockbuster story that went viral nationwide, a father accused the Loudoun County Schools of attempting to conceal a sexual assault against his daughter in a school bathroom. Rosiak reported on October 11:
On June 22, Scott Smith was arrested at a Loudoun County, Virginia, school board meeting, a meeting that was ultimately deemed an “unlawful assembly” after many attendees vocally opposed a policy on transgender students. What people did not know is that weeks prior on May 28, Smith says, a boy allegedly wearing a skirt entered a girls’ bathroom at nearby Stone Bridge High School, where he sexually assaulted Smith’s ninth-grade daughter.
Juvenile records are sealed, but Smith’s attorney Elizabeth Lancaster told The Daily Wire that a boy was charged with two counts of forcible sodomy – one count of anal sodomy and one count of forcible fellatio – related to an incident that day at that school.