A lawsuit filed by parents against Attorney General Merrick Garland for a memo he wrote, which characterized parents protesting against school district policies as a threat, has been dismissed by a federal judge.
In the memo (pdf) issued by Garland on Oct. 4, 2021, he stated that there had been a “disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff.” The Department of Justice (DOJ) would use its authority and resources to discourage such threats, identify them, and prosecute people, it said.
The memo was written in response to a letter sent by the National School Boards Association (NSBA) to the DOJ on Sept. 29, 2021, which described parental opposition to school policies like teaching critical race theory or imposing COVID-19 restrictions as being akin to “domestic terrorism” and warned that the country’s public schools and education leaders are under “immediate threat.”…