The Fairfax County School Board has voted to eliminate Veterans Day as a school holiday, a decision that has drawn sharp criticism from veterans and conservative leaders who see it as the latest example of liberal extremism in Northern Virginia.
In an eight-to-one vote last month, the board removed Veterans Day and Columbus Day from the official school calendar, leaving only two national holidays unobserved in the district. The move comes as America prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, a milestone that underscores the sacrifices made by millions of veterans.
Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Paul Lawrence, a former Fairfax student, expressed disbelief at the decision. “What the hell are they thinking?” he wrote in an op-ed published by The World Signal. Lawrence argued that the board’s action sends a clear message to students and parents: “The Americans who have fought to create and preserve our unique way of life for 250 years and counting can be forgotten.”
The board defended its decision by citing complaints from parents about too many teacher workdays. But critics say the move is part of a broader pattern of liberal activism in Fairfax County, which has also faced controversy over policies on immigration and transgender rights. The county has become infamous for coddling violent illegal immigrant criminals and forcing girls to share locker rooms with boys, according to Lawrence.
The board attempted to cover its tracks by calling for curriculum to teach students about veterans, but Lawrence dismissed this as insincere. “Nobody with a brain thinks for even a second that a school board voting to eliminate Veterans Day is sincerely interested in teaching kids about veterans,” he wrote.
The decision also misses the point of parents’ complaints. Most Northern Virginia parents work in offices that recognize Veterans Day, so requiring children to attend school that day creates logistical headaches rather than solving them.
Columbus Day, which marks Christopher Columbus’s journey that brought western civilization to the Americas, has already been replaced on the calendar with a teacher workday labeled “Indigenous Peoples’ Day.” The board’s vote now treats Veterans Day similarly, stripping it of holiday status.
On November 11, millions of Americans will pause to honor the 41 million people who have served in the U.S. military. Bells will toll at the 11th hour, marking the end of World War I. But in Fairfax County, students will sit in classrooms, likely unaware of the significance of the day.
“To Fairfax students: Those bells you hear on Nov. 11 are not just noise — they mark Veterans Day,” Lawrence wrote. “Veterans Day is a real holiday, no matter what your out-of-touch school board tries to tell you.”
