AG Merrick Garland Calls on FBI to Target Parents After National School Board Compares Them to ‘Domestic Terrorism’

Attorney General Merrick Garland claims there has been a “disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff.”

As a result, he is “directing the FBI to work with each U.S. attorney and leaders ‘in each federal judicial district’ to discuss strategy to address threats within 30 days of his statement” reports the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF).

In a memorandum released Monday, the Department of Justice calls on the FBI to “use its authority” against parents who threaten or use violence against public school officials. DCNF reports “The Department of Justice’s memorandum did not specify what it classifies as a crime and did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for clarification on the matter.”

“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” the memorandum begins.

Garland’s memorandum comes after a letter from the National School Board Association (NSBA) asking the federal government to get involved in what they determined as an “immediate threat” of violence from parents.

The NSBA blamed “propaganda purporting the false inclusion of critical race theory within classroom instruction” for “attacks against school board members and educators.” The letter says the American public schools and its education officials are experiencing behavior from parents that could be “the equivalent to a form of domestic terrorism and hate crimes.”