Parents Defending Education Recognizes Virginia Governor-Elect Glenn Youngkin and Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard at Parent Retreat

Arlington, VA – This weekend, Parents Defending Education recognized Virginia Governor-Elect Glenn Youngkin with its “Parent Champion Award” and former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard with its “Moral Courage Award.”

The awards were presented at PDE’s Parent Retreat, which brought together parents from all over the country from November 20-21 to educate and equip them with the tools they need to make change and hold their children’s school administrators and school board members accountable.  

Asra Nomani, VP of Strategy and Investigations for Parents Defending Education: 

“Parents Defending Education could not think of a more deserving recipient of our ‘Parent Champion Award’ than Governor-Elect Glenn Youngkin. He understands the frustration of parents who have spent almost two years trying to fully reopen their schools and get answers about what their kids are learning. Parents have been mocked and ridiculed by the media, told that we don’t have a primary role in our kids’ education by arrogant politicians, and targeted for investigation by the Department of Justice and FBI, but Governor-Elect Youngkin’s message to parents has been, ‘I hear you.’ Parents want to be heard and we want action, and we need people to champion the cause of concerned parents no matter their politics. Governor-Elect Younkin is that champion. He gives hope to parents nationwide.” 

Erika Sanzi, Director of Outreach for Parents Defending Education: 

“Congresswoman Gabbard has been a surprising and welcome voice in the conversation about what is happening in our children’s schools. She has steadfastly refused to join with those who push race essentialism and gender ideology into America’s classroom, those who profit off training teachers and students to believe that their immutable traits define them. This ideological capture of K-12 education is poison for all students and I’m so grateful that Rep. Gabbard has chosen to use her platform to call out those who would seek to indoctrinate rather than educate our children.”