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. 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. “While spirited debate about policy matters is protected under our Constitution, that protection does not extend to threats of violence or efforts to intimidate individuals based on their views,” he said. attorneys and federal, state, local, territorial and tribal authorities in each district to develop strategies against the threats. A federal judge threw out a lawsuit on Friday from parents that accused Attorney General Merrick Garland of stifling their free speech, saying the group misunderstood a memo addressing. Probing the matter, the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee released a report showing that in one federal investigation, the FBI interviewed a mom for allegedly telling a local school board “we are coming for you.” In another, the FBI investigated a dad who opposed COVID mask mandates after a tipster to a federal hotline said he “fit the profile of an insurrectionist” because he “rails against the government” and “has a lot of guns and threatens to use them.To address the rising problem, Garland said the FBI would work with U.S. Garland had directed federal law enforcement to address what he called a “disturbing spike” in harassment of school officials. His was a reference to a 2021 Justice Department memo from Attorney General Merrick Garland responding to the National School Board Association’s concerns about violent protesters at school board meetings. McCarthy warned that the federal government is labeling parents as “domestic terrorists” for showing up at school board meetings, even though such prosecutions are extremely rare. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) pressed Garland to retract the memo, saying local school officials and parents would no longer speak up during school board meetings out of fear. WATCH: Attorney General Garland testifies in Senate Judiciary oversight hearing This week, the new Republican committee on the “weaponization” of the federal government will delve into First Amendment free speech rights on social media. Attorney General Merrick Garland testified on the proposed Department of Justice budget on Tuesday in a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing.Įarlier this month, a Republican-led Judiciary subcommittee probed the federal government’s treatment of parents protesting school board policies - sometimes violently - as unfair.
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