The Illinois Association of School Boards voted during a Thursday meeting to end its membership with the National School Boards Association, effective immediately.
“The decision follows previous attempts by IASB to initiate changes to the governance structure, transparency, and financial oversight of the national association,” the Illinois group said in a press release, adding that although states depend on a healthy national association, the “IASB no longer believes that NSBA can fill this important role.”
The Illinois association cited the infamous “domestic terrorism” letter that the NSBA sent to President Joe Biden “without knowledge or support of its state association members.”
The NSBA’s president and interim CEO sent the letter to the Biden administration on Sept. 29. In it, they asked the administration to use domestic terrorism laws as a way to deploy federal law enforcement against parents who are concerned about critical race theory in schools, other curricula, and ongoing COVID-19 protocols.
The letter, which has since been walked back, was sent after the NSBA colluded with Biden administration officials in crafting it. On Oct. 2, NSBA President Viola Garcia confirmed that the organization had “been engaged with the White House and Department of Education … for several weeks now.”
Attorney General Merrick Garland used the letter as evidence of rising threats of violence to justify using the FBI to target parents who attended school board meetings to voice their concerns.
NSBA officials wrote the letter without consulting or notifying its state groups, prompting backlash from many. Including Illinois, 26 state school boards associations have now distanced themselves from the NSBA, with 13 of those groups ceasing participation, no longer paying dues, or completely cutting ties.
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— Corey A. DeAngelis (@DeAngelisCorey) November 19, 2021
