Parents who oppose mask mandates and critical race theory in schools are voicing their outrage at being branded violent extremists.
In recent months, concerned parents in Loudoun County, Virginia have been showing up to school board meetings to protest what they perceive to be politically and ideologically motivated curriculums, such as the teaching of gender ideology and critical race theory.
To their shock, the campaign has drawn attention from an unexpected source: the FBI.
Prompted by a Sept. 29 National School Boards Association letter to President Joe Biden, Attorney General Merrick Garland earlier this month ordered the FBI to investigate alleged threats of violence against school board members and educators.
In the letter, the National School Boards Association’s two top officials suggested parents’ actions were “equivalent to a form of domestic terrorism and hate crimes.”
“Coupled with attacks against school board members and educators for approving policies for masks to protect the health and safety of students and school employees, many public school officials are also facing physical threats because of propaganda purporting the false inclusion of critical race theory within classroom instruction and curricula,” wrote National School Boards Association president Viola Garcia and CEO Chip Slaven.
It didn’t take long for the Biden administration to spring into action. On Oct. 4, the Justice Department announced Garland had mobilized the FBI to address the “disturbing trend.”
“Threats against public servants are not only illegal, they run counter to our nation’s core values,” Garland said in a memo to U.S. attorneys and FBI leadership . “Those who dedicate their time and energy to ensuring that our children receive a proper education in a safe environment deserve to be able to do their work without fear for their safety.”
Both the National School Boards Association’s letter and the FBI’s investigation have sparked a public outcry.
On Friday, the National School Boards Association’s board of directors apologized for Slaven and Garcia’s letter, saying in a statement that, “there was no justification for some of the language included in the letter.”
But that hasn’t stopped upset parents from expressing their displeasure with the educational organization.
A group of moms took to the streets of Alexandria, Virginia Wednesday to speak out against the National School Boards Association and the FBI investigation.
“What did the NSBA do? They called the parents domestic terrorists. Here is another parallel. The Chinese Communist Party and the NSBA do not want parents to be part of the educational system. They want to keep the education system their own indoctrination mill,” said Xi Van Fleet, one of the moms in attendance at the protest.