Oregon School Boards Assoc. will meet to consider NSBA membership after letter labeling parents as domestic terrorists

By Reagan Knopp

The National School Boards’ Association issued an apology Friday for language in a letter to the Biden administration that many parents felt compared their protests to domestic terrorism.

The Oregon School Boards Association issued the following statements on Twitter in response to the letter.

(1/3) From Jim Green, OSBA executive director: “We appreciate NSBA’s apology over some of the language in the organization’s appeal for protecting the safety of school board members."

— OSBA (@OSBANews) October 23, 2021

(3/3) Green: “But NSBA recognized that the wording it used alienated many parents, our vital partners in public schools. It’s my hope with this apology that the national organization can learn from the experience and move on.”

— OSBA (@OSBANews) October 23, 2021

Executive director Jim Green responded to an inquiry from Oregon Catalyst with additional information.

We do not agree with portions of the letter that alienated parents and members of our communities from attending their local school board meeting and voicing concerns or sharing their opinions with their locally-elected officials.

The letter of apology was necessary and needed, and may have come too late following their initial letter to the Biden Administration.

The results of the letter state by state can be seen below.

23 state school boards associations have distanced themselves from the National School Boards Association.

5 of those states have now decided to withdraw from the NSBA because of their recent actions. pic.twitter.com/sTYPM9WHMv

— Corey A. DeAngelis (@DeAngelisCorey) October 28, 2021

In regards to OSBA membership with the NSBA, Green wrote:

The OSBA Board of Directors has not met since the letter was released. The Board will be meeting during November and it will be discussing the letter and OSBA membership in NSBA. There are many issues facing NSBA right now, and the OSBA Board of Directors will be reviewing a variety of issues related to NSBA at its upcoming meeting. Whether OSBA continues to be a member of NSBA is up to the OSBA Board of Directors.