White House in contact with school board group for 'weeks' before controversial 'Patriot Act' letter: emails

President Biden's White House was in discussion with the National School Board Association in the weeks leading up to the NSBA sending a letter demanding federal law enforcement crack down on the alleged harassment of school officials, emails show.

The emails show the school board group drew on conversations with White House staffers in drafting the letter.

On Sept. 29, the NSBA, which represents more than 90,000 school board members, sent a letter to Biden asking his administration to address hostilities toward school boards as possible acts of "domestic terrorism," claiming there had been an increase in the "acts of malice, violence and threats against public school officials."

The NSBA letter also called for the Biden administration to invoke the Patriot Act, which Congress passed to deal with terrorism in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

"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 letter signed by NSBA President Viola Garcia and Chip Slaven, the group's interim executive director and CEO, stated.

Less than a week later, Attorney General Merrick Garland issued an explosive memo directing the FBI to investigate threats by parents against school board members.

According to emails obtained by Parents Defending Education through public records requests, the NSBA was in talks with White House officials for several weeks before sending its letter. The emails, which were first reported by th... (Read more)

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