Terry McAuliffe, running for a second, non-consecutive term for the governor of Virginia, let it be known that he thinks parents should have no say in their children’s education, during a recent gubernatorial debate.

According to McAuliffe, “I’m not going to let parents come into schools and actually take books out and make their own decision. … I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.”

Without missing a beat, McAuliffe’s opponent, Glenn Youngkin, countered with, “You believe school systems should tell children what to do. I believe parents should be in charge of their kids’ education.”

Apparently, McAuliffe, who served as governor of the Commonwealth from 2014 to 2018, is unfamiliar with the law in his own state.

Per the Code of Virginia § 1-240.1. Rights of parents, “A parent has a fundamental right to make decisions concerning the upbringing, education, and care of the parent’s child.”

McAuliffe’s comment, however, is symbolic of the tense divide that is occurring in school districts throughout the nation.

The crux of the matter is simple: Should parents or government bureaucrats determine (for the most part) how and more importantly, what, America’s children learn in public schools.