Wendy Rogers Calls on the Arizona School Board Association to Withdraw From National School Boards Association That Asked Biden to Arrest Parents

On Tuesday, Wendy Rogers and 22 other Arizona elected officials called on the Arizona School Board Association to withdraw from the National School Board Association (NSBA). The NSBA has come under fire for its letter to the Biden Administration demanding “federal law enforcement and other assistance” to “deal with” parents who question their policies or call them out for their radical left-wing curriculums.

Senator Rogers and the other officials note, “The letter said it was sent on behalf of state associations and school board members from across the nation. However, most if not all of the states indicated they were never notified of the letter, nor were asked for thoughts on the matter. As a result, there was little to no input whether the NSBA should unilaterally request federal intervention due to claims of domestic terrorism and hate crimes against concerned parents advocating for their own children.

Read the full letter:

Dear Dr. Harrison-Williams,

As you are probably aware, the National School Boards Association (NSBA) sent a letter to President Joe Biden in late September 2021. The letter said it was sent on behalf of state associations and school board members from across the nation. However, most if not all the states indicated they were never notified of the letter, nor were asked for thoughts on the matter. As a result, there was little to no input whether the NSBA should unilaterally request federal intervention due to claims of domestic terrorism and hate crimes against concerned parents advocating for their own children. Unlike most government actions, the Executive Branch notified the Department of Justice (DOJ) and within five days, set forth guidelines against parents including a 1-800 hotline to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The process and time frame were unprecedented. Why such an infringement on freedom and parental rights?

Parental involvement, not income or social status, is the most accurate predictor of scholastic achievement. Parental involvement in education leads to greater student success and increased confidence. One study indicated that parental involvement benefits every facet of the educational process.

NSBA’s letter to President Joe Biden and subsequent actions by the DOJ are not only a gross infringement on parental rights and freedom but are completely contrary to positive empirical data on parental involvement. The Arizona School Board Association (ASBA) should believe strongly in the value of parental and community discussion at school meetings. ASBA should reject labeling parents as domestic terrorists! The ASBA should put tremendous value on allowing and encouraging the public to contribute meaningful input into the decision-making process. Parental participation does not interfere with the board’s ability to conduct its business. Parents do not subject individual board members to threats of violence, abuse, or harassment. Even if such interference occurred, local law enforcement must deal with it, not the federal government. The 10th Amendment indicates “the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

The NSBA is out of touch with the concerns of state and local school boards and the principle of local control. Now is the time for courage. Five states withdrew including Missouri, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Louisiana. An additional seventeen states have distanced themselves, issuing statements in opposition to the actions by the NSBA including Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wyoming. These twenty-two states represent both “red” and “blue” states, showing this is a nonpartisan issue. Rather, it is a state’s rights question as well as of freedoms of speech and assembly in the 1st Amendment.

As a result, the ASBA should immediately withdraw from the NSBA. It cannot be allowed to speak for Arizona. We encourage the ASBA to make this decision quickly.

Respectfully,

Wendy Rogers
State Senator, Legislative District 6

Nancy Barto
State Senator, Legislative District 15

Rick Gray
State Senator, Legislative District 21

Kevin Payne
Representative, Legislative District 2

Jacqueline Parker
Representative, Legislative District 16

Warren Petersen
State Senator, Legislative District 12

J.D. Mesnard
State Senator, Legislative District 17

Vince Leach
State Senator, Legislative District 11

Kelly Townsend
State Senator, Legislative District 16

John Kavanagh
Representative, Legislative District 23

Beverly Pingerelli
Representative, Legislative District 21

Brenda Barton
Representative, Legislative District 6

Mark Finchem
Representative, Legislative District 11

David Cook
Representative, Legislative District 8

Shawnna Bolick
Representative, Legislative District 20

Quang Nguyen
Representative, Legislative District 1

John Fillmore
Representative, Legislative District 16

Judy Burges
Representative, Legislative District 1

Leo Biasiucci
Representative, Legislative District 5

David Livingston
State Senator, Legislative District 22

Joseph Chaplik
Representative, Legislative District 23

Michelle Ugenti-Rita
State Senator, Legislative District 23


(National File) Wendy Rogers, 21 Arizona Legislators Send Letter Calling For State School Boards To End Affiliation With NSBA

“Arizona state Sen. Wendy Rogers and other elected officials called for the Arizona School Boards Association to withdraw from the embattled National School Boards Association made infamous after it sent a letter to Joe Biden calling on the federal government to investigate upset parents for terrorism using the PATRIOT Act. [Their] letter infamously described parents confronting local school boards over Critical Race Theory, explicit LGBT pornography being provided to students as teaching materials, transgender bathroom policies leading to a high school student being raped in Virginia, as terrorists.”

Read Article: https://nationalfile.com/wendy-rogers-21-arizona-legislators-send-letter-calling-for-state-school-boards-to-end-affiliation-with-nsba/

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