Hold YOUR school board accountable

If recent events have taught us anything, it’s that parents, teachers, and concerned citizens need to be more vigilant than ever when it comes to our local school board and the radicalization of our children’s education.

By now I’m sure you know about the National School Boards Association (NSBA) letter in late September requesting that President Biden direct federal law enforcement to investigate parents and labeling concerned parents as domestic terrorists.

And on October 4, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice subsequently directed the FBI and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices to investigate parents for “harassment, intimidation and threats of violence” against school board members and school employees.

But do you know what this means for parents in your school district, Chip?

To gain greater clarity on the very real impact this may have on your school district, and even your own children, Parents Defending Education has created a list of targeted, actionable questions to hold your local school board accountable:

• Are you willing to denounce the letter that the National School Boards Association sent to President Biden requesting that he direct federal law enforcement to investigate parents?  If yes, have you contacted the National School Boards Association (NSBA) to let them know?  Have you contacted the U.S. Department of Justice to tell them as well?
• Have you seen any behavior or actions by your constituents that could be described as “domestic terrorism”?  If yes, please provide specifics about what happened and whether or not local/state law enforcement was equipped to handle it.
• Please tell us how the school board and district define the words intimidation, harassment, and threat.

Chip, I hope these questions are helpful as you assess the attitude of your own local school board and district towards parents and concerned citizens like you.

I also want you to know that your actions and your loud voice do make a difference, both in your own backyard and on a national level. Much of the NSBA’s funding comes from dues paid by public school boards nationwide. This means that backlash from citizens like you can have a direct impact on their budget and their ability to push their radical, politicized agenda in American schools.

We’ve already seen that truth in action, as 17 states (and counting!) have withdrawn membership, participation, or dues from NSBA, and 27 total have distanced themselves from the NSBA’s letter.

One final tip to push your local school board to action: We encourage you to ask the most parent-friendly member of your local school board to introduce a resolution in support of parents’ rights to free expression, without fear of retribution, under the First Amendment.

If that resolution motion does not get a second, or fails to pass, your elected representatives will now be on record in opposition to parents’ rights at public meetings.

Chip, the NSBA’s letter is a true outrage to concerned parents and citizens like you. But you are not powerless, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Parents Defending Education, and other like minded parents, teachers, and citizens — in your own town and across the country.

So thank you for joining Parents Defending Education, as we refuse to allow America’s parents to be bullied, or have their free speech chilled by threats. Together we are keeping the pressure on the NSBA and state and local school boards — and fighting for the restoration of a healthy, non-political education for our kids.

Nicole Neily, President

Parents Defending Education