State Superintendent asked about FBI school board directive

Earlier this week, Attorney General Merrick Garland put out a memo to United States Department of Justice employees, particularly the ranks of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to actively pursue threats, intimidation, and harassment of local school board members.

When asked on Tuesday about the move, State Superintendent Michael Rice said he was unaware of the document. He said debate and local control are pillars of our education system, but we should always be respectful.

The directive has raised eyebrows, with Republican officials offering harsh criticism of the move. The National School Board Association penned a letter to the Biden Administration asking it to prosecute parents opposed to Critical Race Theory and masking policies as potentially domestic terrorists, even going so far as to ask the government to use the PATRIOT Act. Garland’s memo is vague as to what intimidation and harassment means in a local school board setting, or why the FBI should be involved with what city and county law enforcement are capable of handling on their own. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said he will not allow federal agents to chill debate on important topics.

Both Critical Race Theory and masking have been discussed at school board meetings in the Copper Country, including the area’s largest. Former Houghton-Portage Township students made their case for adopting curriculum that delves into institutionalized racism in the local newspaper over the summer. At the following Board of Education meeting, several residents and parents spoke out against the idea during public comment. Mask mandates have similarly been advocated for, or criticized, in several districts.