Former President Donald Trump said federal authorities are imposing a “very tough stance” on concerned parents after the Justice Department said it plans to monitor the alleged “harassment” of school board members.
This comes after Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday directed the FBI to take on “harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence” against school boards and teachers amid growing parental anger over curricula, mask mandates, and other polarizing issues such as critical race theory. The former president said Tuesday the move was “very tough because the parents are very wounded by what’s taken place by, in many cases, radical left school boards.”
“And you would certainly think they have a voice — and they have a voice — as to how their children are going to be educated, brought up and educated,” Trump told the John Solomon Reports podcast.
Curricula incorporating tenants of critical race theory, which claims racism is an inherent part of society, have been documented across the country, leading to clashes between parents and administrators. Loudoun County, Virginia, has become the most prominent education battleground nationwide and has invested thousands of dollars in taxpayer funds into CRT-inspired diversity training programs.
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Before the November 2020 presidential election, Trump signed an executive order establishing the 1776 Commission, a plan he said would “stop the radical indoctrination of our students” and promote a “patriotic education” system. Once President Joe Biden took office, he eliminated the commission via executive order in February.
Despite the disbandment of the 1776 Commission, members from Trump’s proposed education agenda program convened in May to discuss plans to engage with school administrators from across the country, taking on critical race theory as a primary issue.
Republican senators criticized the Justice Department on Monday over Garland’s memorandum alleging evidence of violence and intimidation at school board meetings, calling it an attempt to target concerned parents.
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Sen. Josh Hawley also rebuked the DOJ’s memorandum to federal authorities on Monday, tweeting that he asked the Biden administration to provide him with “one instance in American history when the FBI has been directed to go after parents attending school board meetings to express their views.”
“There isn’t one,” he concluded.
