Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said about 1 in 5 of the state's school systems are defying his order that bans school mask mandates and "aren't recognizing the rights of parents today."
Youngkin — a Republican who banned mask mandates on his first day in office earlier this month — said he was "not surprised" by the resistance from roughly 25 of Virginia's 130 school systems.
"Oh, by the way, they haven't been recognizing the rights of parents all along," Youngkin said during an interview with right-wing radio host John Fredericks on Monday. "I am not surprised at all to hear these reactions from school boards that have consistently prioritized bureaucrats and politicians over the rights of parents."
Youngkin added, "This is a small group of counties that are not recognizing parents rights. We have a very large group of counties that are."
The governor said that his administration will continue to "aggressively" fight the issue in court.
"This should be heard and decided on very quickly and we're going to continue to ask for expedited hearings to make sure this happens," he said.
Parents from Chesapeake, Virginia, filed a lawsuit against Youngkin last week over his executive order, arguing that it violates state law.
Republican Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares swiftly filed a motion to dismiss the suit.
"I am not going to stop fighting for the rights of parents to make these decisions for their kids," Youngkin said during the interview.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.