This is a coordinated attempt to intimidate dissenting voices in the debates surrounding America’s underperforming K-12 education – and it will not succeed. In a statement emailed to The Associated Press she said: “It is shameful that activists are weaponizing the US Department of Justice against parents. Nicole Neily, president of Parents Defending Education, an Arlington, Virginia-based group formed in January, took the school board group and the Justice Department to task. The department’s action “is a strong message to individuals with violent intent who are focused on causing chaos, disrupting our public schools, and driving wedges between school boards and the parents, students, and communities they serve.” “Over the last few weeks, school board members and other education leaders have received death threats and have been subjected to threats and harassment, both online and in person,” Slaven said. In a statement, Chip Slaven, NSBA interim executive director and CEO, praised the Justice Department’s swift action and pointed to the detrimental impact the threats of violence and intimidation have had on the education system. The climate has led a growing number to resign or decide against seeking reelection. School board members are largely unpaid volunteers, parents and former educators who step forward to shape school policy, choose a superintendent and review the budget, but they have been frightened at how their jobs have suddenly become a culture war battleground. In the coming days, the Department will announce a series of measures designed to address the rise in criminal conduct directed toward school personnel.” In making the announcement Garland said the Justice Department would use its authority and resources to discourage the threats and “prosecute them when appropriate. And for that you will pay dearly.” It called the member “a filthy traitor.” “You are forcing them to wear mask - for no reason in this world other than control. “We are coming after you,” a letter mailed to an Ohio school board member said, according to the group. In Michigan, a meeting was disrupted when a man performed a Nazi salute to protest masking. ![]() It cited the September arrest of an Illinois man for aggravated battery and disorderly conduct for allegedly striking a school official at a meeting. ![]() The group’s letter documented more than 20 instances of threats, harassment, disruption, and acts of intimidation in California, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, Ohio and other states. It also asked for the Justice Department, FBI, Homeland Security and Secret Service to help monitor threat levels and assess risks to students, educators, board members and school buildings. The association asked for the federal government to investigate cases where threats or violence could be handled as violations of federal laws protecting civil rights. The group, which represents school board members around the country, asked President Joe Biden for federal assistance to investigate and stop threats made over policies including mask mandates, likening the vitriol to a form of domestic terrorism. The action is in response to an urgent request last week from the National School Boards Association.
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