Glenn Youngkin signed several executive actions on Saturday, including one that banned the teaching of "divisive concepts" in schools and another that targets school mask mandates.
Youngkin was sworn in on Saturday after he beat out former Gov. Terry McAuliffe in the November election.
Youngkin is a Republican.
Youngkin said in a statement that the work was only beginning.
The work of restoring excellence in education, making our communities safer, opening Virginia for business and reinvigorating job growth are some of the steps we are taking today.
The Virginia Department of Education said last year that Critical Race Theory was not part of the state's standards of learning, as Insider previously reported.
The executive action specifically banned the teaching of CRT.
The idea of the legacy of slavery being a factor in US laws and polices is the focus of the CRT. Despite the fact that there is no evidence to support the teaching of CRT in K-12 schools in the US, Republicans in state legislatures have crafted legislation banning it.
Critical Race Theory tells students to only view life through the lens of race and presumes that some students are racist, sexist, or oppressive, according to an executive order.
According to Politifact, Youngkin made a series of claims about the teaching of CRT in Virginia high schools. According to the report, many Virginia school systems released statements saying they didn't teach students about CRT.
Youngkin signed an executive action on Saturday that banned schools from requiring students to wear masks in order to stem the spread of COVID-19, instead allowing parents to decide when their children wear masks.
The governor of Virginia cannot ban mask mandates. He told WTKR-TV that schools make those decisions. We will make sure that schools allow parents to opt-out of those mandates, so that they can do what's best for their children.
The executive action states that parents can opt their child out of masks without giving a reason.
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