State school board leaves national association saying they called parents domestic terrorists

The Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) voted to leave the National School Boards Association (NSBA) saying the national association called parents domestic terrorists.

In a letter to its members, PSBA said the group vote unanimously to leave the national association due to a long list of issues with the group, the most recent of which was a controversial letter to President Biden.

“The most recent national controversy surrounding a letter to President Biden suggesting that some parents should be considered domestic terrorists was the final straw. This misguided approach has made our work and that of many school boards more difficult,” the letter stated. 

“It has fomented more disputes and cast partisanship on our work on behalf of school directors, when we seek to find common ground and support all school directors in their work, no matter their politics. Now is not the time for more politics and posturing, it is the time for solutions to the many challenges facing education,” it added.

The NSBA sent a letter to Biden towards the end of September in which it discussed threats lobbied at school boards. There has been growing tension between teachers, parents and school boards over COVID-19 mask policies and critical race theory. 

“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,” NSBA said.

The Department of Justice responded to the NSBA letter and announced it would start investigating the threats towards teachers and school board members. 

PSBA said it disavows any threats of violence against school board members but “attempting to solve the problems with a call for federal intervention is not the place to begin, nor a model for promoting greater civility and respect for the democratic process.”

“It has been a struggle for the board and leadership of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association to identify a reason to continue to be a part of a federation that is not focused on bipartisanship, civility and seeking solutions to the internal problems that have plagued the national organization for so long,” PSBA added. 

The Hill has reached out to the NSBA for comment.