Nearly a month after the National School Boards Association wrote a letter comparing upset parents at school board meetings to terrorists, the organization has apologized.
In a memo sent to members on Friday, the group acknowledged what it called “extensive media and other attention” around the letter to President Joe Biden regarding threats and acts of violence against school board members.
“On behalf of NSBA, we regret and apologize for the letter,” the group wrote. “To be clear, the safety of school board members, other public school officials and educators, and students is our top priority, and there remains important work to be done on this issue. However, there was no justification for some of the language included in the letter. We should have had a better process in place to allow for consultation on a communication of this significance.”
The memo also says the group deep values the voices of parents who “should and must continue to be heard when it comes to decisions about their children’s education, health and safety.”
“We are going to do better going forward,” the group said.
There is a formal review of the organization’s process and procedures. They’ll announce specific improvements soon in hopes of making sure there is improved coordination and consultation among their staff, their board and their members across the country.
On Sept. 29, the organization sent a letter to the Biden administration critical of parents who it claimed were making threats to school board members over masking policies as well as “propaganda purporting the false inclusion of Critical Race Theory.”
Parents Defending Education obtained emails showing the NSBA consulted with White House officials on the language used in the Sept. 29 letter.
