School board group asks for federal help to stop threats and violence in debates on Covid and critical race theory

CNN — A group representing national school board associations asked President Joe Biden and the federal government on Wednesday to help look into threats against school board members and educators to see if laws were broken regarding bullying, hate crimes, or domestic terror, as anger around masks and critical race theory have boiled over around the country. “America’s public schools and its education leaders are under an immediate threat,” said the letter, signed by National School Boards Association President Viola M. Garcia and NSBA interim Executive Director and CEO Chip Slaven. “While we would refer you to the appropriate law enforcement authorities for questions about any specific threats, we would certainly encourage individuals to report any threats they face to local and state law enforcement agencies.” In its request, the NSBA cited several news articles involving threats against board members, including a mailed letter addressed to a school board member in Ohio that said “we are coming after you and all the members on the … BoE.” The mailed letter accused the board member of forcing students to wear masks in order to control students, “and for that you will pay dearly.” The NSBA noted in addition to individual threats groups are posting “watchlists” against school boards. “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,” the NSBA wrote to Biden.