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Why has violence against local school board members become acceptable?


Schools have become the epicenter or political unrest


Strange how some violence is horrific to people but other violent action is not. That is the case with the actions of school boards across the country who are under the threat of violence because they have been trying to protect their students and require mask wearing in schools.


The violence has become so terrible that districts are now having virtual meetings because of the danger to themselves and have even seen their families suffer threats.


National School Boards Association


The National School Boards Association [NSBA] has responded to his by asking President Joe Biden to have the Justice Department look into the violent dangers to board members,


America’s public schools and its education leaders are under an immediate threat. The National School Boards Association (NSBA) respectfully asks for federal law enforcement and other assistance to deal with the growing number of threats of violence and acts of intimidation occurring across the nation. Local school board members want to hear from their communities on important issues and that must be at the forefront of good school board governance and promotion of free speech. However, there also must be safeguards in place to protect public schools and dedicated education leaders as they do their jobs.


NSBA believes immediate assistance is required to protect our students, school board members, and educators who are susceptible to acts of violence affecting interstate commerce because of threats to their districts, families, and personal safety. As our school boards continue coronavirus recovery operations within their respective districts, they are also persevering against other challenges that could impede this progress in a number of communities.


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.


Viola M. Garcia, National School Boards Association, September 29, 2021


Most are volunteers


The reality is that most school board members in the U.S. serve without compensation. Their role is to give direction to the school district as provide a quality education to its students.


However, while the jobs are often thankless, their service is vitally important to the health of an educated and vibrant community.

The NSBA has asked for a collaborative action by government at all levels,


While local and state law enforcement agencies are working with public school officials in several communities to prevent further disruptions to educational services and school district operations, law enforcement officials in some jurisdictions need assistance – including help with monitoring the threat levels. As these threats and acts of violence have become more prevalent – during public school board meetings, via documented threats transmitted through the U.S. Postal Service, through social media and other online platforms, and around personal properties – NSBA respectfully asks that a joint collaboration among federal law enforcement agencies, state and local law enforcement, and with public school officials be undertaken to focus on these threats.

NSBA specifically solicits the expertise and resources of the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Secret Service, and its National Threat Assessment Center3 regarding the level of risk to public schoolchildren, educators, board members, and facilities/campuses. We also request the assistance of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to intervene against threatening letters and cyberbullying attacks that have been transmitted to students, school board members, district administrators, and other educators.


Viola M. Garcia, National School Boards Association, September 29, 2021


In previous years, the most contentious situations for school boards have often been contract negotiations with employees. This is much worse, and while I do not know the answer, it is very troubling that even legislators agree with the violence.


This is not the America in which I grew up and was educated and served as an educator.

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