RICHMOND, VA – (CVILLERIGHTNOW) – Meg Bryce, who lost 2023’s race for the at-large seat on the Albemarle County School Board by a landslide, has been appointed to the Virginia Board of Education.

“Her extensive background in education, her advocacy for student-centered policies, and her commitment to restoring common sense in education for all Virginia students will be instrumental in ensuring that every parent, student, and teacher receives the essential resources and support needed to thrive,” Youngkin press secretary Christian Martinez said in a prepared statement following Wednesday’s appointment.

Bryce was criticized for taking her children out of public schools. Bryce’s criticisms of the district included ignoring parents and “lowering standards.” Her goals included encouraging academic rigor and better transparency between the school board and the public, which she said was missing during the pandemic.

During a virtual candidate forum hosted by the Albemarle-Charlottesville NAACP, Bryce said: “When we talk about systemic racism, I think that there needs to be an openness about, you know, not everybody agrees that there is systemic racism. And it has to be OK for people to disagree about that.” It has to be OK for some people to be able to say, ‘Well, I do recognize that racism exists and there are racist people in the system. I don’t agree that there is systemic racism,’” Bryce continued. “And I don’t think somebody should be shamed into silence for expressing that.”

Mary McIntyre, president of the Albemarle Education Association teachers union and a vocal critic of Bryce, said Youngkin’s appointment has usurped the will of the voters.

“The voters of Albemarle County overwhelmingly decided they didn’t want Ms. Bryce to represent them on the county school board last year,” she said. “Unfortunately, those same voters don’t get a voice in who is given a seat on the state Board of Education.”

Bryce is the daughter of late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.