Granite State Times

The New Hampshire School Board Association (NHSBA) has joined the school board groups of 10 other states in distancing themselves from the National School Boards Association (NSBA) letter calling for federal law enforcement to investigate parents protesting at school board meetings as "domestic terrorists," according to the Washington Examiner.

The New Hampshire School Board Association said it was not consulted about the letter.

The decision follows an Oct. 4 U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland memo sent to the FBI and state attorneys general regarding the "disturbing spike" in harassment and threats to school administrators, board members, faulty and staff, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

"I am directing the Federal Bureau of Investigation, working with each United States Attorney, to convene meetings with federal, state, local, Tribal and territorial leaders in each federal judicial district within 30 days of the issuance of this memorandum," Garland said in the memo. "These meetings will facilitate the discussion of strategies for addressing threats against school administrators, board members, teachers and staff, and will open dedicated lines of communication for threat reporting, assessment and response."

Garland added that "coordination and partnership with local law enforcement is critical to implementing these measures for the benefit of our nation's nearly 14,000 public school districts."

Garland's actions came after President Joe Biden received a letter from the National School Boards Association regarding threats and harassment involving educators, including school board meeting disruptions in California, Florida, Georgia and other states. The behavior stems from "local directives for mask coverings to protect students and educators from COVID-19."

The controversy has gone on for months at various school board meetings across the country.

In May, a New Hampshire mother was arrested for "disorderly conduct" at a school board meeting she attended to protest the mask mandate for her children, The Post Millennial reported. She was also not wearing a mask in a building where one was required.

Representatives from the New Hampshire National Education Association, Nashua Teachers Union and the Manchester Education Association did not respond to requests for comment.