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Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Youngkin signs executive order to combat antisemitism in Va. schools
Gov. Glenn Youngkin speaks with members of the media in Virginia's Capitol on Jan. 13, 2025. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods /Virginia Mercury) Gov. Glenn Youngkin directed state leaders to develop resources to track incidents of antisemitism and anti-religious bigotry at Virginia's schools through an executive order announced Monday evening. Executive Order 48 expands on his administration's efforts and work by the legislature to combat prejudice against Jewish students at all levels of Virginia's education system. According to the executive order, surveys conducted by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), a commission established by the governor in 2022, found 554 recorded antisemitism incidents in Virginia over the past year, with most of them occurring in Virginia's schools. 'No one should be unsafe in the classroom or on campus or feel targeted because of their religion or heritage. This executive order reaffirms and strengthens the commonwealth's commitment to safe educational environments free from discrimination and continues our actions against antisemitism and anti-religious bigotry in public schools and institutions of higher education,' Youngkin said in a statement. 'On day one, I signed Executive Order 8 establishing the Commission to Combat Antisemitism. We have made tremendous strides implementing their recommendations, but our work is far from done.' Under the executive order, the governor directed the Secretary of Education, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), and the State Council of Higher Education of Virginia (SCHEV) to develop resources that will help local school divisions, colleges and universities prevent, track, report and follow up on incidents of antisemitism and anti-religious bigotry. The governor also directed the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Public Safety & Homeland Security to establish a working group to design a comprehensive reporting and tracking mechanism for alleged incidents targeting Jewish students. The working group — which will include representatives from VDOE, SCHEV, the Department of Criminal Justice Services and stakeholders from the Jewish community, among others — must provide recommendations for executive, legislative, and budgetary actions to the governor and General Assembly by Sept. 1. Between April 2024 and April 2025, CAM found the number of harassment cases increased from 50 to 158 and vandalism from 19 to 62, Youngkin's order stated. Three assaults were also identified in April of this year, while none were reported in 2024. The order also states that these trends have placed Virginia 11th in the nation for the number of reported antisemitic incidents, most of which occurred in Virginia's public schools and universities. Anti-war protests roiled Virginia college campuses after Hamas, a militant group, unexpectedly attacked Israel near the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking over 250 hostages. Israel struck back with a full-scale war campaign that has left over 52,000 Palestinians dead to date. Both Hamas and Israel began exchanging hostages and prisoners between January and March and the groups are still negotiating a ceasefire agreement. In the meantime, federal lawmakers, including Virginia U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, are urging President Donald Trump's administration to act on delivering food and emergency aid to civilians. With Gaza facing starvation, Virginia Sens. Warner and Kaine press for U.S. action The violence and hostages taken led to a string of campus protests, encampments, and arrests at Virginia's colleges and universities in the months to follow at the University of Mary Washington, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Tech, and the University of Virginia. In total, more than 125 students from five Virginia institutions of higher learning were arrested at on-campus demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas War in 2023. Virginia lawmakers have sought answers in hopes of determining if the demonstrations and universities' responses to them warrant potential policy changes. Despite the committees being formed a year ago, no action has been taken. In March, the U.S. Department of Education warned 60 higher education institutions, including George Mason University and the University of Virginia, that they could lose federal funding, after the federal agency claimed the institutions have not kept Jewish students safe based on a backlog of complaints. After George Mason responded to the December 2023 complaint, the institution said the Office of Civil Rights within the Department of Education has requested no further information after providing the office with an update of its efforts to combat harassment and discrimination. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Will Virginia fund college food pantries or leave students struggling?
During a House subcommittee hearing, college students hold up "Pass Hunger Free Campus in Virginia" signs. (Photo courtesy of Swipe Out Hunger) A half-million-dollar budget proposal could be a game-changer for Virginia college students struggling with food insecurity. Advocates are urging House lawmakers and Gov. Glenn Youngkin to follow the Senate's lead and support the funding, which would establish a food pantry grant program to help students in need. 'This is a budget amendment where, if D.C. rips public benefits away and Virginia legislators are not funding basic needs works on their campuses, we're going to have an exponential growth in the number of Virginia students who are dropping out of school,' said Robb Friedlander, director of advocacy at Swipe Out Hunger, a nonprofit tackling student food insecurity. Friedlander pushed back against the perception that college students are mostly middle- to high-income and white. The reality, he said, is that today's student body is far more diverse. Many are first-generation students, over half are financially independent from their parents, and the majority juggle part-time jobs while pursuing their degrees. A quarter of college students in Virginia are also parents. Campus food pantries are seeing greater demand — and more state dollars 'This is who our college students are today,' said Friedlander, adding that as tuition, housing, and grocery costs continue to skyrocket, students are fighting through relentless barriers just to stay in school and improve their economic future. But just how widespread food insecurity is among Virginia's college students remains unclear. Many public colleges and universities don't track the issue, and the social stigma surrounding hunger often keeps students from seeking help, according to a November report by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV). The council surveyed 35 out of 39 institutions, representing 343,797 students. Of those, only eight schools had conducted research on student food insecurity, while 19 had not, and another eight either didn't know or chose not to disclose their findings. On Feb. 2, the Senate passed a budget bill allocating $500,000 to support food pantries at public and nonprofit private colleges participating in the tuition assistance grant program. The proposal outlines that SCHEV will award grants to schools that establish an on-campus food pantry or partner with local food banks to connect students with resources in the area. The program ensures that food will be free of charge, and students will not be required to prove food insecurity to access pantry services. Institutions that meet the criteria will earn the 'Hunger-Free Campus Food Pantry' designation, with funds available to support on-campus hunger initiatives. Any unused funds will roll over into the next fiscal year. SCHEV is set to report on the program's progress by July 1, 2026. Meanwhile, House Bill 2240 and Senate Bill 1016, sponsored by Del. Rae Cousins, D-Richmond, and Sen. Danica Roem, D-Manassas, have successfully advanced to their opposite chambers. If passed, they will head to the governor's desk for approval. Roem, a longtime advocate for free meals in Virginia's schools and colleges, said the urgency of the issue cannot be ignored. 'Now's the time to do it, especially at a time of so much uncertainty coming into the federal government,' Roem said. 'Virginia needs to step up and Virginia needs to lead.' Cousins echoed that concern, pointing to federal funding cuts made during Donald Trump's administration, which she said weakened programs that provided essential food access. She warned that a recent executive order could further jeopardize programs like SNAP. 'In this national landscape, it is extremely critical that we do everything we can here in Virginia to invest in programs that fight food insecurity, including funding on-campus food pantries,' Cousins said. 'Addressing food insecurity is important to ensure that all of our students, regardless of their socio-economic background, have the opportunity to succeed.' With bipartisan support in the Senate, all eyes are now on the House and Youngkin as advocates push to ensure Virginia's college students don't have to choose between paying tuition and affording their next meal. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
