The Ohio School Boards Association has terminated its membership in the National School Boards Association, citing the NSBA’s letter to Biden as the reason.
The Ohio School Boards Association announced on Tuesday that it is breaking ties with the National group citing dissatisfaction with a recent request for federal intervention in school board meetings.
“We were not informed of or asked for any input into the creation of the letter sent to the president,” OSBA Chief Executive Officer Rick Lewis said in a statement.
In September, the National School Boards Association wrote to President Joe Biden, requesting assistance in protecting students, school board members, and educators in the wake of alleged threats made to districts in response to COVID-19 policies and mask mandates.
“America’s public schools and its education leaders are under an immediate threat,” the letter reads.
The Ohio School Boards Association said in a statement sent Tuesday that its decision to end its affiliation with the NSBA is a direct result of the letter.
“We believe in the value of parental and community discussion at school board meetings, and there is tremendous value in allowing and encouraging the public to have meaningful input into the decision-making process,” the statement reads.
“However, that participation should not come at the expense of interfering with the board’s ability to conduct its business or subjecting individual board members to threats of violence, abuse, or harassment. But dealing with such interference should be dealt with at the local level, not by federal officials,” it goes on to say.
The NSBA also expressed concern in the letter to Biden about attacks on school board members and educators in response to what it claims is false information that critical race theory is being taught in classrooms.
“This propaganda continues despite the fact that critical race theory is not taught in public schools and remains a complex law school and graduate school subject well beyond the scope of a K-12 class,” the letter reads.
The letter to President Biden, according to the school board association, demonstrated how disconnected the national association is from the concerns of local school boards and the principle of local control.
