The Justice Department through Attorney General Merrick Garland has instructed the FBI and U.S. Attorneys' Offices to come together within the next 30 days with various branches of the government to discuss strategies to combat the alleged "violent threats against school officials and teachers" over COVID mandates and critical race theory ideology being taught in the classroom.
This comes after the National School Boards Association (NSBA) wrote a letter addressed to President Joe Biden, asking for "federal law enforcement and other assistance" against what they call "domestic terrorists": parents and community members who oppose critical race theory teachings and COVID mandates.
"Threats against public servants are not only illegal, they run counter to our nation's core values," Attorney General Garland wrote, as per the U.S. Department of Justice. "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."
A memorandum issued by the U.S. Attorney General announced that the Justice Department will launch a "series of additional efforts" which will "address the rise in criminal conduct directed toward school personnel."
Such efforts include a task force composed of representatives from the department's Criminal Division, National Security Division, Civil Rights Division, the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, the FBI, the Community Relations Service and the Office of Justice Programs.
The Justice Department is also gearing up to prepare federal enforcement tools to "prosecute these crimes," as well as develop "specialized training and guidance for local school boards and school administrators," the Gateway Pundit reported.
School district board meetings across the U.S. have become the venue for parents and concerned citizens to express their opposition to the new diversity, equality, and inclusion curriculum that is based on critical race theory. Parents believe it is a way to indoctrinate children with racist ideologies, causing an uprising and organized protests at such meetings.
According to the National Review, several parents have also been targeted by progressive-dominated school boards such as that in Guilford, Connecticut, where Danielle Scarpellino, the leader of a slate of five anti-CRT parents running to take down the current board, admitted to being in the receiving end of harassment and intimidation.
Scarpellino reported that an online petition circulated, calling for her cancellation and discouraging the community from participating in her dance studio business or even prohibiting her from using the local church grounds for recitals.
Meanwhile, Republican Senators Josh Hawley of Missouri and Tom Cotton of Arkansas decried the U.S. Attorney General's Monday memo on weaponizing the FBI and other judicial branches of the government to crack down on "domestic terrorists, Yahoo! News reported.
Sen. Cotton argued, "Is it domestic extremism for a parent to advocate for their child's best interests?"
Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn also questioned Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco about the memo, saying, "The message that you are sending to parents, to individuals is you take everything that we say or we're not going to be able to protect you and I think that that is a very dangerous place to be."
