National School Boards Association apologizes for calling parents “domestic terrorists”
The National School Boards Association has offered an apology Friday night for a letter it had sent to the Biden Administration.
The NSBA in their apology letter said they “regret and apologize for the letter” sent to the President.
Their letter had targeted parents concerned with what their kids are being taught at school. It had correlated some aspects of the the concerns to “domestic terrorism.”
Parents were seen raising questions on the teaching of the “critical race theory” at the meetings. Some were allowed to speak while others were silenced. As the voices grew louder, the school boards started believing their lives were under threat after the strong reactions.
“In a letter to President Biden released this morning, the National School Boards Association (NSBA) has asked for federal assistance to stop threats and acts of violence against public schoolchildren, public school board members, and other public school district officials and educators,” the statement read.
It asked the federal government to “investigate, intercept, and prevent the current threats and acts of violence against public school officials through existing statutes, executive authority, interagency and intergovernmental task forces, and other extraordinary measures to ensure the safety of our children and educators, to protect interstate commerce, and to preserve public school infrastructure and campuses.”
The letter cited “more than twenty instances of threats, harassment, disruption, and acts of intimidation that have transpired during school board meetings and that are targeted at school officials.”
“As the threats grow and news of extremist hate organizations showing up at school board meetings is being reported, this is a critical time for a proactive approach to deal with this difficult issue,” it concluded.
The September 30 NSBA letter made Attorney General Merrick Garland issue an extensive memorandum instructing the FBI to incorporate a task force in coordination with local authorities to address the concerns.
During Thursday’s House Judiciary Committee hearing, AG Garland denied claims that the Justice Department would call parents “domestic terrorists.”
He said the “Justice Department supports, defends the First Amendment right of parents.”
Garland also defended his memorandum and said it never mentioned anything of the sort. His memo however, has come under criticism of several school boards and Americans as a whole since its issuing.
Four of the 8 members of the Civil Rights Commission have also asked the AG to provide evidence which shows “intimidation” or “threats of violence.” Things the AG had claimed as evidence calling for federal intervention.
AG Garland is yet to respond – (If he intends to).