DOJ To Explore Charging Parent Protests as “Domestic Terrorism”
On September 29, 2021, the National School Board Association (NSBA) wrote a letter to President Biden asking his administration to treat some parent protests at school board meetings as possible acts of “domestic terrorism”. The letter also indicated that the issue of Critical Race Theory (CRT) being taught in the schools was simply propaganda. "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. This propaganda continues despite the fact that Critical Race Theory is not taught in public schools and remains a complex law school and graduate school subject well beyond the scope of a K-12 class.”
Many parents feel this is an overreach by the Federal Government and a way to threaten parental rights and freedom of speech. Some even feel this leaves our schools even more vulnerable to the divisive teachings of Critical Race Theory. Former Department of Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, told Fox News, “It’s a shameless attempt to silence parents who are invested in their children’s education.”
It is clear some school board members welcome the protections. Reno’s very own former Board of Trustee member, Kurt Thigpen, has been making his rounds on the national news circuit sharing his personal feelings about how he feared for his safety at WCSD’s meetings and how it led him to thoughts of suicide.
Many parental rights groups and education groups have spoken out against this move by the DOJ. One such group, Parents Defending Education, even put together a form letter that allows senders to write a letter to the DOJ with just one click.
It is clear, decorum in any public forum is absolutely vital. There is no place for threats of violence or name calling in the public square - it doesn’t help our kids or our cause. Having said that, we must stand up for our freedom of speech so that we can continue to fight for parental rights, exemplary education and fair representation for our children.