National School Boards Association

Last updated
NSBA
National School Boards Association
Founded1940 (1940)
Headquarters Alexandria, Virginia
Location
  • United States
Key people
Dr. John Heim, Executive Director & CEO
Website www.nsba.org

The National School Boards Association (NSBA) is a nonprofit educational organization operating as a federation of state associations of school boards across the United States. Founded in 1940, NSBA represents state school boards associations and their more than 90,000 local school board members. It argues that education is a civil right and that public education is America's most vital institution. [1] During the first years of the organization, it was expected that members would serve on state boards of education for several years. However, the average term of service turned to four years in the late 1980s and the 1990s. The organization's concentration shifted to enhancing the professional development of board members, training in policy development, and information dissemination. [2]

Contents

The length of time that individuals served on the boards of education changed, and the organization also reformed into a focus of policy development of state education. In the early 21st century, the National Association of State Boards of Education reflected the work of state boards, the diverse views, and the influence of legislatures and governors on the policymaking process. That turned the organization into not only board members but also educational leaders. Someone who is not a state board education member can still be a part of the organization including state school boards associations and that of the Virgin Islands, a U.S. territory. [3]

The organization relies on the following views: [3]

Services and programs

Adjustments because of COVID-19

There are events, signature events, webinars, and podcasts to help school board members with their work through updates on professional development opportunities and programs from educational leaders. All of these programs are virtual due to the pandemic. State school boards associations are the main authority for governance and policy. In states that require mandated training for school board members, they must comply with the state school boards associations guidelines. [4]

Patriot Act letter

On September 29, 2021, the NSBA published a letter they sent to the White House which complained of threats made to school board members and inquired whether these threats could be investigated under the PATRIOT Act. The letter said "As these acts of malice, violence, and threats against public school officials have increased, the classification of these heinous actions could be the equivalent to a form of domestic terrorism and hate crimes". [5] [6] [7] [8] In response, Merrick Garland stated that the FBI would utilize the law enforcement response to what Garland called "a disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff." [9] Parents who had attended school board meetings because they were concerned about whether critical race theory was being taught to their children felt this letter compared them to terrorists. [10] A father who was arrested at a school board meeting after becoming angered at the school board's denial that his daughter was sexually assaulted at Stone Bridge High School demanded an apology for being called a terrorist. [11]

After the letter was sent and published, 26 state school boards distanced themselves from the NSBA. [12]

On October 22, the NSBA renounced the letter, apologized to the parents, and eventually deleted it from its website. Despite this, Attorney General Merrick Garland declined to disband a task force he had assembled to tag and track parents perceived as threats. [13] The attorney for the father of the Stone Bridge sexual assault victim said the apology was only to fellow NSBA members, not the parents, and called for a direct apology. [14]

On November 11, it was discovered that the NSBA had coordinated with the White House and the Department of Justice when composing the letter. [15]

As of February 16, 2022, 29 states—Alabama, Arizona, [16] Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, [17] Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, [18] Minnesota, Mississippi, [19] Missouri, [20] Montana, Nebraska, [21] New Hampshire, [22] New Jersey, North Carolina, [23] North Dakota, Ohio, [19] Pennsylvania, [19] South Carolina, [24] Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming—have opposed or distanced themselves from the letter and 20 states have withdrawn membership or dues from the NSBA or announced plans to do so. [25] [26]

According to an analysis of official documents by Axios, these states affiliations accounted for more than 40% of the NSBA funding by states in 2019, which would amount to losses of $1.1 million annually. [27]

Related Research Articles

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Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war against non-combatants. There are various different definitions of terrorism, with no universal agreement about it. Different definitions of terrorism emphasize its randomness, its aim to instill fear, and its broader impact beyond its immediate victims.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Counterterrorism</span> Activity to defend against or prevent terrorist actions

Counterterrorism, also known as anti-terrorism, relates to the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, businesses, and intelligence agencies use to combat or eliminate terrorism.

Eco-terrorism is an act of violence which is committed in support of environmental causes, against people or property.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parent–teacher association</span> Group that facilitates parental participation in a school

A parent–teacher association/organization (PTA/PTO), parent–teacher–friend association (PTFA), or parent–teacher–student association (PTSA) is a formal organization comprising parents, teachers and staff that is intended to facilitate parental participation in a school.

There is no consensus, scholarly or legal, on the definition of terrorism.

Terrorism and mass attacks in Canada includes acts of terrorism, as well as mass shootings, vehicle-ramming attacks, mass stabbings, and other such acts committed in Canada that people may associate with terroristic tactics but have not been classified as terrorism by the Canadian legal system.

The May 19th Communist Organization was a US-based far-left revolutionary group formed by members of the Weather Underground Organization. The group was originally known as the New York chapter of the Prairie Fire Organizing Committee (PFOC), an organization devoted to promoting the causes of the Weather Underground legally, as part of the Prairie Fire Manifesto's change in Weather Underground Organization strategy, which demanded both aboveground mass movements and clandestine organizations. The role of the clandestine organization would be to build the "consciousness of action" and prepare the way for the development of a people's militia. Concurrently, the role of the mass movement, the above-ground Prairie Fire Collective, would include the support for and the encouragement of armed action. Such an alliance would, according to Weather, "help create the 'sea' for the guerrillas to swim in." The M19CO name was derived from the birthdays of Ho Chi Minh and Malcolm X. The May 19 Communist Organization was active from 1978 to 1985. M19CO was a combination of the Black Liberation Army and the Weather Underground. It also included members of the Black Panthers, White Panthers, and the Republic of New Afrika (RNA).

In the United States, domestic terrorism is defined as terrorist acts that were carried out within the United States by U.S. citizens and/or U.S. permanent residents. As of 2021, the United States government considers white supremacists to be the top domestic terrorism threat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loudoun County Public Schools</span> Public school division serving Loudoun County, Virginia, United States

Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) is a branch of the Loudoun County, Virginia, United States government, and administers public schools in the county. LCPS's headquarters is located at 21000 Education Court in Ashburn, an unincorporated section of the county.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Right-wing terrorism</span> Terrorism motivated by right-wing and far-right ideologies

Right-wing terrorism, hard right terrorism, extreme right terrorism or far-right terrorism is terrorism that is motivated by a variety of different right-wing and far-right ideologies. It can be motivated by Ultranationalism, neo-Nazism, anti-communism, neo-fascism, ecofascism, ethnonationalism, religious nationalism, anti-immigration, anti-semitism, anti-government sentiment, patriot movements, sovereign citizen beliefs, and occasionally, it can be motivated by opposition to abortion, tax resistance, and homophobia. Modern right-wing terrorism largely emerged in Western Europe in the 1970s, and after the Revolutions of 1989 and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, it emerged in Eastern Europe and Russia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education</span> Professional accreditor focused on accrediting teacher education program.

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Left-wing terrorism or far-left terrorism is terrorism motivated by left-wing or far-left ideologies, committed with the aim of overthrowing current capitalist systems and replacing them with communist or socialist societies. Left-wing terrorism can also occur within already socialist states as criminal action against the current ruling government.

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References

  1. (nd) About NSBA. Retrieved 6/7/07.
  2. "National Association of State Boards of Education" . Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  3. 1 2 "About NSBA" . Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  4. "NSBA Events" . Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  5. Waldrop, Theresa. "School boards around the country are under fire. What exactly do they do?". CNN. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  6. Gaudiano, Nicole. "An important school board group is unraveling after it sent a letter to Biden likening threats against school officials to 'domestic terrorism and hate crimes'". Business Insider. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  7. Lonas, Lexi (16 October 2021). "State school board leaves national association saying they called parents domestic terrorists". TheHill. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  8. Richards, Erin. "'Terrorism and hate crimes': School boards say death threats, unruly meetings require FBI". USA TODAY. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  9. "Idaho school board group joins 21 states severing ties with NSBA after 'domestic terrorism' letter to DOJ". Fox News . February 23, 2022.
  10. Burke, Marresa (October 22, 2021). "NSBA's letter to President Biden sparks outrage" . Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  11. Taylor, Scott (October 25, 2021). "Loudoun County assault victim's dad wants apology for being called 'domestic terrorist'". WJLA-TV . Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  12. contributor, Bethany Blankley | The Center Square. "26 state school board associations distance themselves from national group". The Center Square. Retrieved 2021-12-04.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  13. Evans, Zachary (October 22, 2021). "National School Boards Association Apologizes for Letter Comparing Parents to Terrorists". Yahoo. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  14. Evans, Zachary (October 25, 2021). "Loudoun County Father Calls on NSBA to Apologize Directly to Parents over 'Domestic Terrorism' Letter". National Review. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  15. O'Neil, Tyler (November 11, 2021). "NSBA coordinated with White House, DOJ before sending notorious 'domestic terrorists' letter: emails". Fox News. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  16. "Arizona School Boards Association leaving national group over controversy". 19 February 2022.
  17. Kearney, Brent (2021-12-01). "Florida school board members explain National School Board Association withdrawal". WEAR. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  18. Advocate, WILL SENTELL, The. "Amid controversy, Louisiana school boards group withdraws from national affiliate". KTBS. Retrieved 2021-12-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  19. 1 2 3 "Ohio, Missouri, Pennsylvania School Board Groups Leave National Association over Letter Likening Parents to Domestic Terrorists". National Review. 2021-10-26. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  20. "Missouri school board group leaves national association after letter compares parents to 'domestic terrorists'". KOLR - OzarksFirst.com. 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  21. "States' exodus from National School Boards Association continues as Nebraska cuts ties". Fox News . 13 June 2022.
  22. Florida, News Talk (2021-11-01). "New Hampshire School Boards Are Dumping The NSBA After It Called Parents 'Domestic Terrorists'". Newstalk Florida - N. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  23. Dillon, A. P. (2021-11-11). "NC School Boards Association votes to drop membership in national parent organization". The North State Journal. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  24. "South Carolina School Board cuts ties with National School Boards Association". WSPA 7News. 2021-11-10. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  25. "State School Board Associations' Responses to the NSBA Letter". Parents Defending Education. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  26. Conklin, Audrey (2021-12-03). "National School Board Association fallout continues as half of US states push back against organization". Fox News. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  27. "Letter comparing parent protests to domestic terrorism triggers funding fallout". Axios. 7 December 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2021.