Her Voice Fueled Virginia’s Education Freedom Movement
(EdNews Virginia) — For the second consecutive year, a familiar voice was missing from the stage at EdReform Virginia’s annual school choice event. While Julie Gunlock missed last year’s gathering to celebrate her son’s birthday, her absence from this month’s event carried a more somber note.
Gunlock, a WMAL co-host and Independent Women’s Forum director, is currently on leave following a significant health incident in January. Her influence on Northern Virginia’s educational discourse, however, remained a strong theme of the March 7 event, where board chairman Steven Mosley’s invocation referenced Gunlock and her family.
“Gunlock’s legacy continues to serve as the North Star for Virginia families yearning for greater educational freedom,” EdReform Virginia’s Nathan Brinkman said today. “Her views were always grounded in the belief that kids belong to moms and dads, not the government.”
One Size Doesn’t Fit All
Gunlock’s background includes years of high-level work in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Her resonance with Virginia families, however, largely stems from her own role as a devoted mother of three. In her writings and on the airwaves, Gunlock often stressed that kids have unique, individual needs — and that “one-size-fits-all” systems are consequently destined to fail.
Her Family’s Educational Journey
Gunlock’s shift into high-gear advocacy was born from the same frustration shared by many in Northern Virginia: the COVID-19 shutdowns. After what she described as months of “Zoom butlering,” Gunlock saw that her boys were not getting the education they needed and deserved from the public, government-run system.
This realization led Gunlock to “vote with her feet,” transitioning her sons into a combination of Catholic and home-based education. She has since used her voice to argue that all families must have the freedom to leave schools that fail to meet their kids’ needs — and their educational tax dollars should follow.
Today’s Civil Rights Movement
For Gunlock, school choice is not merely a policy preference — it is a moral imperative. In her 2023 address, she declared that educational freedom is “the civil rights movement of the day.”
She felt “haunted” by images of kids “stuck in the prison of the public school,” especially those with disabilities whose families lack the money to secure alternatives.
Virginia Lags Behind
Gunlock has strongly criticized Virginia’s slow progress regarding educational freedom. In 2024, she challenged attendees to demand more, sharing her frustration that “Virginia is one of the states that has the least choices for parents.”
“Other states are so far ahead,” Gunlock said, urging families to let their neighbors know about the charter schools, tuition vouchers and tax credits available elsewhere. “Virginia is famous for its parents’ rights movement,” she noted. “I really hope the school choice community works to educate people.”
Road to Recovery
“As EdReform Virginia continues to advance the ideas Julie Gunlock shared with us, our thoughts remain with her and the family,” Brinkman said. “Julie’s voice — from her 2023 radio ads to her 2024 call to action — remains a vital part of our history.”
For those in the community who are interested, a verified GiveSendGo account has been established to assist her family with the associated costs.
Video: Julie Gunlock at EdReform Virginia’s Inaugural Event
This content was made available to WMAL by EdNews Virginia, where it was first published on March 18, 2028.
