The same school board in rural Virginia that censored “To Kill A Mockingbird” in 1966 removed at least 20 books this year after granting itself sole authority over library content. Last spring, it renamed a school christened after a Black historical figure from the state. Now, the Hanover County School Board is swept up in the widespread right-wing movement to reshape public education — and a bipartisan group of parents is fighting back. I recently visited a beer-and-music festival where members of Hanover Citizens for an Elected School Board were campaigning for their cause: taking away county officials’ power to appoint school board members, who are otherwise insulated from public accountability. Unelected boards are rooted in the state’s Jim Crow past, as they were sometimes used to keep Black residents out. The group has created unlikely alliances. John Dixon, a Republican retiree who dabbles in hog farming, stopped by the table to lend support. “I’m losing friends over this,” he joked. Dixon isn’t alone. “We’re all along the spectrum politically, but we all want a say in who our school board members are,” said Stephanie Kim. The Southern Baptist mom joined the group because she’s not happy with how schools are handling special-needs kids such as her own. Similarly, liberal-leaning Kelly Merrill, a University of Richmond professor with a transgender teenager, said she was angered when the school board voted against accommodations for trans students.

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