Mike Pence praises parents for pushing back in Loudoun County against school board

Ahead of next week's election in Virginia, Mike Pence defended the rights of parents in relation to their child's teaching while visiting Loudoun County.

"Make your choice Virginia. Let's choose educational freedom for this generation and the next," Pence told a crowd at Patrick Henry College, according to The Hill.

Pence praised parents that have pushed back at school board meetings, calling it a "movement" and a "moment in the life of our nation when we can choose educational freedom."

"To every Loudoun County parent that is here today and all of you that are looking on, thank you. Thank you for caring so much about your children's education. That you're willing to step forward and let your voice be heard," Pence said.

"Make no mistake about it, you're making a difference for your kids. With families here in Loudoun County, standing up for educational excellence and accountability, you are making a difference in the life of the nation," he said.

Pence's comments come as Youngkin has made parents rights regarding their children' education a key point to his campaign, taking aim at banning critical race theory teachings.

McAuliffe has claimed that Virginia has not taught critical race theory in schools, but documents from the Virginia Department of Education during McAuliffe's times as governor revealed that they did in fact teach the subject.

Though Pence did not mention Youngkin by name, he did take a moment to slam  McAuliffe for comments made in 2019 in which he said that diversity and inclusion were just as important to teach kindergarteners as math and English, according to The Hill.