Last week, the National School Boards Association (NSBA) asked the Biden administration to use laws to fight domestic terrorism to silence concerned parents. On Monday night, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland responded.
Garland joined the NSBA's cause, directing the FBI to work with the appropriate U.S. attorneys “to [address threats against school administrators, board members, teachers and staff.”
Garland didn't mention how contracts involving his family and school districts are raising concerns.
First, Some Background:
Fairfax County, Virginia, is home to the largest public school system in the state. The school division recently signed a $2.4 million contract with the consulting firm Panorama Education.
The five-year deal has angered many Northern Virginia parents. They claim that Panorama wants to collect confidential student information through data mining under the guise of social and emotional learning (SEL).
As The Fairfax County Times reports:
The new Fairfax County contract says Panorama Education will have access to 190,000 students including the identities of students and how they answer questions about what they “think and feel.” In its Sept. 14, 2020, Request for Proposal, the school district says “schools operate as the de facto mental health provider in communities throughout the U.S.” (page 4, section 5.6)
…
The “screener” raises concerns among parents, particularly in light of comments that cofounder Aaron Feuer gave in 2013, as the company launched. To a question about whether investors were focused on “making money” or “improving schools,” Feuer stated that companies are “roughly half and half” about seeing schools as a “strong market to invest in” and “a really great place to make a difference.”
Unless parents in Fairfax County submit an opt-out form by this Friday, Oct. 8th, their children will complete the SEL screener. Such assessments collect information about students' SEL skills, feelings, relationships, school environment and well-being.
A Conflict of Interest?
A potential conflict of interest emerges upon learning that Garland's daughter is married to Panorama's co-founder, Xan Tanner. The knowledge that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is an investor in the company has only exacerbated parental concerns. They fear Panorama will use their childrens' personal data similar to how Facebook has allowed third parties to access its users' data.
And yet, Garland's edict may give worried parents in Fairfax County pause. Although grassroots parental organizing against school boards continues undeterred—for the time being at least.
The Federalist's Asra Q. Nomani concludes:
Late Friday, a coalition of parent groups representing 427,000 members sent a letter to the National School Boards Association stating, “Your letter to President Biden is a thinly veiled threat, intended to intimidate into silence and submission the very constituents that your members ostensibly represent.”
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Launching a war on parents is a very serious mistake, not only politically but morally. It is a parent who nurses a child through the night, long after the school bell has rung. Misguided policymakers, politicians, and school board members need to stop making an enemy of parents. Issue a ceasefire. Apologize. And listen.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
