Virginia Del. Roem faces off against newcomer Woolf in 30th Senate District race

As it has across the country, crime in Prince William has risen sharply since 2020. In 2022, all crime rose by about 14% from the year prior, though the county’s crime rate remained below where it was in 2014 and still below the state’s crime rate in 2022, according to the county’s annual police report for last year. Notably, the countywide homicide count rose to 20 in 2022, double what it had been the year prior.

“I think this is a direct result [of] soft-on-crime policies that we have seen out of Virginia,” Woolf said of the rising crime rate at the forum that was hosted by the Prince William Committee of 100.

As many Virginia Republicans have in recent years, Woolf emphasized allowing parents greater control over their kids in public schooling.

“Schools should nurture, educate and protect our children by providing a safe environment in which they can flourish, not alienate kids from their parents or encourage them to make wrong choices,” Woolf said.

On the issue of parental involvement in student pronoun usage and gender policies, Roem said schools should consider the matters on a case-by-case basis to not risk children being shut out by parents who may not approve of their decisions.

Woolf said schools should work to help parents understand choices their child wants to make and not exclude them from the conversation.