“We are coming after you and all the members of the Worthington BoE. You should all be tried for treason against the people of America. You have poisoned the minds of our children by letting the teachers and their union, NAACP and the Anarchist Black Lives Matter, Inc. infiltrate every school … You have turned some of our older children against us. You are trying to do the same with our younger children. You are forcing them to wear mask (sic) – for no reason in this world other than control. And for that you will pay dearly … You have become our enemies and you will be removed one way or the other.”
– Letter to Worthington, Ohio School Board member Nikki Hudson (Postmarked September 07, 2021)
(Source: Jo Ingles. “Ohio School Board Members Are Being Threatened Over Curriculum In Protests Driven By Politics.” The Statehouse News Bureau. September 19, 2021.)
In sharing the letter on Facebook Hudson wrote in a recent post, “I am on the receiving end of threats and intimidation like this because I follow science-based guidance from public health experts."
Chris Valentine, the board of education president for Dublin City Schools said the board has also received similar threats and has experienced intense school board meetings.
Security detail has been used in recent weeks at school board meetings in Worthington and Dublin.According to the Hilliard City School District, a school resource officer did attend one recent meeting but things have calmed down there since.
As for Hudson, she said what she has experienced has been disturbing.
“It is our responsibility to set a good example for what it looks like to engage in constructive dialogue, to have decency to treat people with civility,” she said.
(Lindsey Mills ‘Disturbing’: Worthington school board member receives threats for masks in schools.” 10 WBNS. September 21, 2021.)
Critical Race Theory
In the wake of racial justice protests in 2020, critical race theory is being deployed as a blanket term to describe racial equity work that U.S. schools are doing. The right-wing and conservative media have masterfully turned the “controversy” into another means to exploit racial anxieties and hatred in a country of rapidly changing demographics to cement white racial domination. The same people trying to suppress CRT are pushing the “great replacement” theory and stopping the right to vote and free speech.
The groups have seized on critical race theory, a decades-old academic framework that suggests racism is embedded in American laws and institutions, and warned it was being taught in public schools as part of a wave of diversity programs. Fox News mentioned critical race theory nearly 1,300 times over a three-and-a-half-month span, according to an analysis done by the liberal watchdog Media Matters for America.
People like Steve Bannon are pushing for right wing takeovers of school boards. Bannon is gleeful about angry and intimidating right-wing anti-CRT activists over-packing school board meetings. He called it “the Tea Party to the 10th power” and the way to mobilize the GOP right-wing base for the 2022 and 2024 elections. “This isn’t Q, this is mainstream suburban moms – and a lot of these people aren’t Trump voters.”
(Theodoric Mayer, Maggie Severns, and Meeridith McGraw. ''The Tea Party to the 10th power': Trumpworld bets big on critical race theory.” Politico. June 23, 2021.)
The epidemic and normalization of violence, death threats, and physical intimidation, what MSNBC host Chris Hayes called “thug politics,” are dangerous new political and civic developments of such movements – including violence directed at school board members, teachers, election boards, administrators and poll workers, health care and other frontline workers, restaurant workers, the January 6 insurrection, or domestic terrorists who invaded the Michigan capitol to kidnap and execute the governor.
(John Bachtell. “Right wing opposes Critical Race Theory in order to promote hatred.” People's World. September 20, 2021.)
Terrorizing elected officials, public workers, and voters, destroying democratic institutions, and gutting the rule of law, is the aim.
Meanwhile, teachers nationwide said K-12 schools are not requiring or pushing them to teach critical race theory, and most said they were opposed to adding the academic approach to their course instruction, according to a survey obtained by NBC News.
One nationwide study in June 2021 found that the vast majority of teachers in public schools said the critical race theory was not a required teaching tool.
Responses from more than 1,100 teachers across the country to a survey conducted by the Association of American Educators, a nonpartisan professional group for educators, appeared to suggest that the panicked dialogue on critical race theory made by lawmakers and the media does not reflect the reality of American classrooms.
(Christina Mazzanti. “AAE Releases Survey Results on Critical Race Theory and Culturally Responsive Teaching.” Association of American Educators. July 02, 2021.)
Yet, lawsuits are mounting nationwide and attempts to recall school board members have gained traction in several states related to parents' dislike for classroom curriculum they perceive as being too progressive, discriminatory or infringing on their own rights. The pandemic has also created another layer of divide over mask enforcement at schools and other Covid-related learning requirements.
(Phil McCausland. “Teaching critical race theory isn't happening in classrooms, teachers say in survey.” NBC News. July 1, 2021.)
Top Republicans have battled and continue to battle school districts in their own states’ urban, heavily Democratic areas over whether students should be required to mask up as they head back to school – reigniting ideological divides over mandates even as the latest coronavirus surge ravages the reddest, most unvaccinated parts of the nation.
For example, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida has issued an executive order threatening to cut funding from school districts that defy a statewide ban on classroom mask mandates. He’s now suggesting his office could direct officials to withhold pay from superintendents who impose such rules anyway.
And, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster is threatening to withhold funding to schools in his state’s capital of Columbia over masking rules, while Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has vowed to enforce a similar order against mask mandates – despite large school districts around the state, including Dallas and Austin, promising to go ahead with classroom face covering requirements.
In response to the threats and discord, the National School Boards Association, a federation of state associations, wrote to President Joe Biden that "education leaders are under an immediate threat." It suggested that “[a]s these acts of malice, violence, and threats against public school officials have increased, the classification of these heinous actions could be the equivalent to a form of domestic terrorism and hate crimes” and asked that the administration review the question.
The letter went on to cite more than 20 reported incidents in California, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, Ohio and other states.
Here is the letter:
To The Honorable Joseph R. Biden
September 29, 2021
Dear Mr. President:
“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 these acts of malice, violence, and threats against public school officials have increased, the classification of these heinous actions could be the equivalent to a form of domestic terrorism and hate crimes ...
“School board meetings have been disrupted in
California, Florida, Georgia, and other states because of local
directives for mask coverings to protect students and educators from
COVID-19.
“An individual was arrested
in Illinois for aggravated battery and disorderly conduct during a
school board meeting. During two separate school board meetings in
Michigan9, an individual yelled a Nazi salute in protest to masking
requirements, and another individual prompted the board to call a
recess because of opposition to critical race theory.
“In New Jersey, Ohio, and other states, anti-mask proponents are inciting chaos during board meetings. In Virginia, an individual was arrested, another man was ticketed for trespassing, and a third person was hurt during a school board meeting discussion distinguishing current curricula from critical race theory and regarding equity issues. In other states including Washington, Texas, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and Tennessee, school boards have been confronted by angry mobs and forced to end meetings abruptly. A resident in Alabama, who proclaimed himself as “vaccine police,” has called school administrators while filming himself on Facebook Live.
“Other groups are posting watchlists against school
boards and spreading misinformation that boards are adopting critical
race theory curriculum and working to maintain online learning by
haphazardly attributing it to COVID-19.
“In
Ohio, an individual mailed a letter to a school board member labeling
the return address on the envelope from a local neighborhood
association and then enclosing threatening hate mail from another
entity. This correspondence states that, “We are coming after you
and all the members on the ... BoE [Board of Education].” This hate
mail continues by stating, “You are forcing them to wear mask—for
no reason in this world other than control. And for that you will pay
dearly.” Among other incendiaries, this same threat also calls the
school board member a “filthy traitor,” implies loss of pension
funds, and labels the school board as Marxist. Earlier this month, a
student in Tennessee was mocked during a board meeting for advocating
masks in schools after testifying that his grandmother, who was an
educator, died because of COVID-19. These threats and acts of
violence are affecting our nation’s democracy at the very
foundational levels, causing school board members – many who are
not paid – to resign immediately and/or discontinue their service
after their respective terms. Further, this increasing violence is a
clear and present danger to civic participation, in which other
citizens who have been contemplating service as either an elected or
appointed school board member have reconsidered their decision.
Viola M. Garcia, EdD President
Chip Slaven, Esq. Interim Executive Director & CEO
(“Federal Assistance to Stop Threats and Acts
of Violence Against Public Schoolchildren, Public School Board
Members, and Other Public School District Officials and Educators.”
National School Boards Association.)
Attorney General Responds
Then, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Monday that the FBI would take the lead on the law enforcement response to what Garland called “a disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff.”
Here is his statement …
“In recent months, there has been a disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff who participate in the vital work of running our nation's public schools. 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.
“Threats against public servants are not only illegal, they run counter to our nation's core values. Those who dedicate their time and energy to ensuring that our children receive a proper education in a safe environment deserve to be able to do their work without fear for their safety.
“The Department takes these incidents seriously and is committed to using its authority and resources to discourage these threats, identify them when they occur, and prosecute them when appropriate. In the coming days, the Department will announce a series of measures designed to address the rise in criminal conduct directed toward school personnel.
“Coordination and partnership with local law enforcement is critical to implementing these measures for the benefit of our nation's nearly 14,000 public school districts. To this end, I am directing the Federal Bureau of Investigation, working with each United States Attorney, to convene meetings with federal, state, local, Tribal, and territorial leaders in each federal judicial district within 30 days of the issuance of this memorandum. These meetings will facilitate the discussion of strategies for addressing threats against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff, and will open dedicated lines of communication for threat reporting, assessment, and response.
“The Department is steadfast in its commitment to protect all people in the United States from violence, threats of violence, and other forms of intimidation arid harassment.”
Attorney General Merrick Garland
Office of the Attorney General
October 4, 2021
NSBA interim Executive Director and CEO Chip Slaven said in a statement that Garland’s action sent 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.”
Slaven said. “The individuals who are intent on causing chaos and disrupting our schools – many of whom are not even connected to local schools – are drowning out the voices of parents who must be heard when it comes to decisions about their children’s education, health, and safety. These acts of intimidation are also affecting educational services and school board governance. Some have even led to school lockdowns.”
“We need to get back to the work of meeting all students’ needs and making sure that each student is prepared for a successful future,” Slaven concluded. “That’s what school board members and parents care about.”
(Samuel Chamberlain. “Garland calls in FBI to counter reported threats against school staffers.” New York Post. October 5, 2021.)
Republican Reaction Led By Mitch McConnell
The memo generated a firestorm of controversy among parents and Republican lawmakers. A number them accused President Biden of weaponizing the Justice Department and siccing federal agents on parents.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland asking him to clarify what he meant by a crackdown on the “harassment” of school officials in his recent memo, warning that the directive could stifle parents’ constitutional right to free speech, according to a report.
“In it you directed federal law enforcement to partner with state and local governments to address ‘threats of violence, and other forms of intimidation and harassment’ of ‘school administrators, board members, teachers and staff’ in public schools,” McConnell (R-Ky.) said in a letter to the attorney general on Friday, according to a Fox News report.
“The memorandum purports to respond to a ‘disturbing spike’ in threats and harassment against these officials – although it’s silent as to the supposed perpetrators or any actual predicates for this action” he continued.
“Your memorandum’s ominous rhetoric doesn’t reflect the reality of what we have seen at school boards across the country in recent months,” McConnell wrote in his letter
“Parents absolutely should be telling their local schools what to teach. This is the very basis of representative government,” he added. “They do this both in elections and – as protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution – while petitioning their government for redress of grievance. Telling elected officials they’re wrong is democracy, not intimidation.”
Critics of Garland’s memo contend that parents have every right to confront school boards with concerns about the teaching of “woke” policies like critical race theory and mask mandates.
(Erik Ortiz. “Parents in Michigan, Virginia sue DOJ over response to school board threats.” NBC News. October 20, 2021.)
Let's Review
Right-wing and conservative media have used critical race theory and masking to exploit racial anxieties and hatred.
This exploitation has helped spurn threats and intimidation directed at school board members, teachers, election boards, administrators, and others.
In response to the threats and discord, the National School Boards Association wrote to President Joe Biden that "education leaders are under an immediate threat."
Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that the FBI would take the lead on the law enforcement response to address the “disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff” partly by conducting meetings to facilitate the discussion of strategies for addressing the threats.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republican lawmakers sent a letter to Attorney General Garland questioning the crackdown on the harassment and the level of threats of violence and intimidation in the country, and they defended the right of parents to tell local schools what to teach as “petitioning their government for redress of grievance” and a sign of democracy,
In this sequence of events, what people are acting as responsible, proactive parties? Who is taking steps to stop those who intend to disrupt the schools for political and personal gain, and who is really acting in the students, teachers, parents, and school boards' best interests?
It is clear to me how some people see the letters of the National School Boards Association and Attorney General Garland as attempts to threaten and silence parents, depriving them of their constitutional rights. They see these actions as weaponizing of the Department of Justice and overstepping its bounds backed by no conceivable law enforcement. And, they may be right with these arguments.
Of course, parents have the right to protest against teaching critical race theory and COVID-18 masking. However, they have no right threatening people for actions that don't even happen. Critical race theory is not being used to indoctrinate public school students.
And, these same people should have a greater understanding of the need to acknowledge the legacy of slavery, segregation, and the imposition of second-class citizenship on Black Americans and other people of color and how systemic racism continues to permeate the social fabric of the nation.
Janel George – Associate Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center, where she is the founding Director of the Racial Equity in Education Law – writes …
“CRT is not a diversity and inclusion 'training' but a practice of interrogating the role of race and racism in society that emerged in the legal academy and spread to other fields of scholarship. Crenshaw—who coined the term “CRT”—notes that CRT is not a noun, but a verb. It cannot be confined to a static and narrow definition but is considered to be an evolving and malleable practice. It critiques how the social construction of race and institutionalized racism perpetuate a racial caste system that relegates people of color to the bottom tiers. CRT also recognizes that race intersects with other identities, including sexuality, gender identity, and others. CRT recognizes that racism is not a bygone relic of the past …
“Most of all, CRT demands challenging the status quo of racial inequality that has persisted for far too long in this nation and exploring how the law and lawyers can help to finally upend it.”
(Janel George. “A Lesson on Critical Race Theory.” American Bar Association. January 11, 2021.)
Republicans have distorted critical race theory. I hate that they have emboldened right wing reactionaries to storm schools and make hollow demands. They attempt to make CRT whatever they wish while do so because they hate groups like Black Lives Matter and the NAACP. Currently, they are responsible for much of the division in America, and it shows no signs of getting better as long as White nationalists mobilize against the current racial awakening.
In fact, I doubt if many of these parents who storm school boards even agree on what critical race theory really is. I can live with what the National School Boards Association and the Attorney General have done in an attempt to stop this nonsense.
Maybe Mitch McConnell should reexamine the definition of “democracy” in light of the true concern of those protesting critical race theory and masking. After all, these “good Americans” in his book are busy imposing a dominant white narrative of history instead of reckoning with the structures and systems that intersect to perpetuate racial inequality. What work is truly advancing “democracy.” I think we all know the truth.
I, Too
By Langston Hughes (1901-1967)I, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.
Tomorrow,
I’ll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody’ll dare
Say to me,
“Eat in the kitchen,”
Then.
Besides,
They’ll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed—
I, too, am America.
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