A new timeline of events in the controversial National School Boards Association (NSBA) letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland shows that the NSBA was in contact with the White House before sending the letter to President Joe Biden.
Emails obtained by a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) from the group called Parents Defending Education request show that NSBA President Viola Garcia sent a memo to state NSBA chapters on October 12 describing its work against parents who were protesting at school board meetings nationwide. Some of those protests regarded mask mandates and liberal activism within schools.
“In the September 14, 2021 meeting of the [NSBA Organization of State Association Executive Directors] liaison group, they were informed there had been a meeting with White House staff that morning and that NSBA was preparing to send a letter to the President,” the memo says. “Subsequently, on September 17, 2021, the interim Executive Director emailed notice to the state association executive directors that indicated a letter requesting federal assistance would be sent.”
The NSBA sent that letter to the White House on September 29.
On October 4, Garland issued the memorandum directing the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and local authorities to investigate parent protestors at school board meetings, accusing them of being potential “domestic terrorists.” There was no evidence to suggest that any or all of the parents had a propensity for violence.
The NSBA later apologized for the letter.
“As you all know, there has been extensive media and other attention recently around our letter to President Biden regarding threats and acts of violence against school board members,” the NSBA said.
“On behalf of NSBA, we regret and apologize for the letter,” the NSBA said, admitting later in its apology that there was no justification for the language it used to describe the parents.
Parents Defending Education, who sent the FOIA request and obtained the memo, is one of the largest student advocacy groups in the country fighting against what some call liberal indoctrination in America’s public schools.
It describes itself as “a national grassroots organization working to reclaim our schools from activists imposing harmful agendas” that it promotes “the restoration of a healthy, non-political education for our kids.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “The White House” by Angela N. CC BY 2.0.
