As Republicans talk about the dangerous and false conspiracy theory that the government is coming after parents, let’s remember all of the actual threats parents and teachers are facing because of right-wing rhetoric.
- House Judiciary Committee Chair, Rep. Jim Jordan, mobilized the government to investigate efforts by the FBI and Department of Justice to prevent violence against school board members. Meanwhile, Republicans continued to obstruct DOJ investigations into instances of violence against school members by falsely claiming the Department was cracking down on parents dissenting at local school boards. Attorney General Merrick Garland specifically said the DOJ would be investigating criminal behavior.
- School board members grew increasingly concerned about their safety during school board meetings. In one instance a death threat was reported, in another, a man claimed LGBTQ people “deserved death” and in another, a woman was charged for threatening school officials.
- Members of the Subcommittee On The Weaponization of the Federal Government purposefully peddled misinformation to stoke outrage from parents. North Country school officials cited Representative Elise Stefanik’s lies through Twitter as a reason for why school board protests became increasingly vitriolic. One superintendent claimed her political strategy was like “pouring gasoline on [a] fire.” Stefanik continued pushing outrage on social media.
- Subcommittee member, Rep. Chip Roy, also used his Twitter account to increase outrage against schools and told parents to fight and take back America. Roy claimed “attacks” against Critical Race Theory were a “massive step forward.”
- Subcommittee member, Rep. Kat Cammack also purposefully misrepresented AG Garland’s memo to increase outrage from parents. Cammack claimed Garland’s memo accused school board meeting attendees of being “domestic terrorists.” The memo did not do that.
Republicans Are Actively Weaponizing The Government To Serve Their Own Interests
HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE CHAIR, JIM JORDAN, MOBILIZED THE GOVERNMENT TO INVESTIGATE EFFORTS BY THE FBI TO PREVENT VIOLENCE AGAINST LOCAL SCHOOL BOARDS
House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan Issued Subpoenas To The Heads Of The Justice Department, FBI, And Department Of Education Seeking Documents Related To Local School Board Meetings. “House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, issued subpoenas Friday to the heads of the Justice Department, FBI and Department of Education seeking documents related to local school board meetings. The subpoenas — which Jordan noted are his first as chairman sent to the Biden administration — require Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to turn over all documents on the topic by March 1.” [NBC News, 2/3/23]
Jordan Claimed Whistleblowers Reported The FBI’s Counterterrorism Division Created A “Specific Threat Tag” For School Board-Related Threats And Opened Investigations On Parents For Simply Speaking On Behalf Of Their Children. “Jordan, who also chairs a new subcommittee on the ‘Weaponization of the Federal Government,’ said whistleblowers have claimed that the FBI’s counterterrorism and criminal divisions ‘created a specific threat tag for school board-related threats and even opened investigations into parents simply for speaking out on behalf of their children.’ Republicans outlined those claims in a November report on the ‘politicization’ of the DOJ and FBI.” [NBC News, 2/3/23]
REPUBLICANS PREFERRED TO OBSTRUCT THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE’S INVESTIGATIONS INTO INSTANCES OF VIOLENCE AGAINST SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS THAN CONDEMN THE THREATS THEMSELVES
October 2021 – Washington Post: “The False GOP Claim That The Justice Dept. Is Spying On Parents At School Board Meetings” [Washington Post, 10/15/21]
Republicans Repeatedly Claimed The Justice Department Was Cracking Down On Parents For Dissenting At Their Local School Board Meetings. “Republicans are sounding the alarm over Garland’s one-page memo, claiming in interviews, congressional hearings, campaign ads and social media that the Justice Department is cracking down on parents simply for dissenting at their local school board meetings.” [Washington Post, 10/15/21]
Republicans Highlighted Attorney General Garland’s Memo As Proof Of The Government Targeting Parents For Raising Questions Or Complaining – Rather Than Addressing The Memo’s Focus On Criminal Behavior. “The bottom line is Republicans are reading much more into [Attorney General Merrick] Garland’s memo than it says. The memo focuses strictly on ‘violence, threats of violence, and other forms of intimidation and harassment’ — all of which are crimes — not on parents raising questions or complaints.” [Washington Post, 10/15/21]
- Attorney General Garland’s Memo Highlighted The Spike In Harassment, Intimidation, And Threats Of Violence Against School Administrators, Board Members, Teachers, And Staff. According to a memo from Attorney General Merrick Garland, “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.” [Office of the Attorney General, Memo, 10/4/21]
- Garland: “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.” [Office of the Attorney General, Memo, 10/4/21]
SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS GREW CONCERNED FOR THEIR SAFETY AS MEETINGS BECAME INCREASINGLY VIOLENT
October 2021: School Board Members Grew Concerned For Their Safety As Public Forums Became Vitriolic And In One Instance Reported Death Threats. “These meetings, where the nation’s almost 14,000 public school districts debate and set their policies, can become heated over questions such as how to teach race in the classroom and whether coronavirus vaccinations and tests or face masks should be required, among other issues. Some school board members have grown concerned for their safety as their forums have turned more vitriolic, and one recently reported a death threat and resigned.” [Washington Post, 10/15/21]
February 2023: School Board Meetings Have Grown Increasingly Violent, And In One Instance A Man Was Recorded Saying LGBTQ People “Deserve Death” And In Another A Woman Was Charged After Threatening A School Board Official. “School board meetings across the country have intensified and grown violent in recent years, especially since the Covid pandemic began. In October, a man was recorded on video saying LGBTQ people ‘deserve death’ during a school board meeting in Arkansas where several anti-LGBTQ policies were passed. In January 2022, a Virginia woman was charged after she appeared to threaten school board officials while they met to vote on whether to lift a mask requirement.” [NBC News, 2/3/23]
Meanwhile, Members Of The Subcommittee On The Weaponization of the Federal Government Pushed Claims That Incentivized Outrage Against School Boards And The Department Of Justice
REP. ELISE STEFANIK SPREAD MISINFORMATION THAT LOCAL SCHOOL OFFICIALS CITED AS HAVING DIRECTLY HAD AN IMPACT ON THE OUTRAGE FROM PARENTS
Elise Stefanik Sat On The Subcommittee On The Weaponization Of The Federal Government. [House Of Representatives Judiciary Committee, Republican Members, accessed 2/8/23]
North Country Public Radio: “School Officials Say Stefanik Spread Misinformation And Fueled Confrontations Over Masks.” [NCPR, 3/14/22]
North Country School Officials Specifically Cited Congresswoman Elise Stefanik As The Driving Force Behind Increasingly Vitriolic Protests From Parents After She Made False Claims About Mask Mandates. “Parents started loudly protesting their kids having to wear masks – even though they really hadn’t done so in the months before. What changed? Some North Country school officials say Congresswoman Elise Stefanik drove those fights. She falsely claimed that the mask mandate was illegal, and encouraged supporters to be more vocal about their outrage.” [NCPR, 3/14/22]
Dale Breault, Superintendent That Oversees 10 School Districts In North Country, That After Stefanik’s Statements “That’s Really When A Lot Of This Blew Up.” “‘It all started with that specific Supreme Court Justice ruling in Long Island and Congresswoman Stefanik putting out the statements that she did. That’s really when a lot of this blew up,’ said Dale Breault, superintendent of the Franklin-Essex-Hamilton BOCES, which oversees 10 school districts.” [NCPR, 3/14/22]
- Breault Claimed Stefanik’s Political Strategy Was Like “Pouring Gasoline On [A] Fire.” “Dale Breault, superintendent of the Franklin-Essex-Hamilton BOCES, said from his point of view, that strategy is like ‘pouring gasoline on [a] fire.’” [NCPR, 3/14/22]
Stefanik Has Repeatedly Used Her Twitter To Stoke Parent Outrage Towards New York Public Schools
Elise Stefanik Tweeted That School Board Members Were “Imposing Racist Critical Race Theory” In New York Schools. “School board members who support imposing racist Critical Race Theory in our #NY21 schools will certainly be defeated at the ballot box, just like in Saratoga. Concerned parents are organizing like never before, and #TeamElise stands with THEM! Media better wake up!” [Twitter, @elisestefanik, 6/17/22]
Stefanik Referred To Critical Race Theory As A “Dangerous Curriculum” And Claimed The Theory Had No Place In North County Schools Or Anywhere Else In America. “Fears are NOT misguided: Critical Race Theory is divisive and un-American. I hear from concerned teachers, parents, & students across #NY21 who condemn this dangerous curriculum. CRT has no place in schools in the North Country or anywhere in America.” [Twitter, @elisestefanik, 8/7/21]
REP. CHIP ROY HAS USED HIS TWITTER TO CALL ON PARENTS TO FIGHT AND CLAIMED “ATTACKS” ON CRITICAL RACE THEORY WERE A “MASSIVE STEP FORWARD”
December 2022: Chip Roy Tweeted That The Omnibus Bill Funneled Millions To “LGBT Groups Peddling Radical Gender Ideology.” “The omnibus bill will funnel MILLIONS of taxpayer dollars to LGBT groups peddling radical gender ideology – many of those $$$ will go to orgs that target YOUTH You won’t believe how ridiculous some of these earmarks are.” [Twitter, @repchiproy, 12/22/22]
February 2022: Roy Tweeted That Critical Race Theory And “The Marxist Agenda” Were “Indoctrinating Our Kids” And Parents Should Fight And Take Back America. “Why are we allowing Critical Race Theory and the marxist agenda to indoctrinate our kids? It doesn’t matter if you “ban CRT” if it’s embedded in every history, math, science, literature lesson… Let’s #StandUpForParents and let’s fight for @SchoolChoiceNow. #TakeBackAmerica” [Twitter, @chiproytx, 2/15/22]
November 2020: Roy Claimed “Attacks” On Critical Race Theory Were A “Massive Step Forward Among Many More We Need To Take” To End An Assault Against Our Society. “4)Attacks on critical race theory and other hateful, racist propaganda is a massive step forward among many more we need to take to end the assault on our society by leftist race-baiters… #EndGovernmentRacism” [Twitter, @chiproytx, 11/26/20]
REP. KAT CAMMACK PURPOSEFULLY MISREPRESENTED ATTORNEY GENERAL GARLAND’S MEMO TO STOKE OUTRAGE AGAINST THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Representative Kat Cammack Claimed School Boards Were Disregarding Parents And Children And Accused Attorney General Garland Of Labeling School Board Meeting Attendees As Domestic Terrorists Was “Absolutely Insane” – Garland’s Memo Did Not Make That Accusation. “Representative Kat Cammack says calling people at meetings terrorists is insane. ‘We have seen for far too long in these school boards disregarding the parents in their child’s education. And for the administration to come forward and say by speaking out, by criticizing by participating in school board meetings, you’re now going to be labeled a domestic terrorist? That is absolutely insane.’ In Garland’s memo, he did not call people making threats domestic terrorists. [WCJB ABC, 10/8/21]