05/27/2026
Yes, the Biden administration did target parents speaking out at school board meetings, and it looks like a misuse of federal power. 
Here’s what happened: In September 2021, the National School Boards Association sent a letter to President Biden comparing angry parents — protesting masks, CRT, and other policies — to “domestic terrorists” and suggesting the Patriot Act could apply. Five days later, Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a memo directing the FBI and U.S. Attorneys to address “harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence” against school officials, using counterterrorism resources. 
Internal docs and whistleblowers show:
• The White House coordinated with NSBA on the letter — they didn’t push back on the terrorism language.
• The FBI created a special “threat tag” (EDUOFFICIALS) and opened investigations, including into parents for things like belonging to “Moms for Liberty,” being a gun owner, or “railing against the government.”
• Local law enforcement and U.S. Attorneys often said there was no real national threat — some called it a “manufactured issue.”
• Garland later admitted the NSBA letter was basically the sole basis for his memo. NSBA eventually apologized and disavowed the letter. 
Garland and DOJ said it was only about actual violence and threats, and they referred just a handful of cases (like six) to local cops. Critics, backed by congressional investigations, argue the effect was to chill speech — turning concerned parents into potential subjects of FBI files for exercising their First Amendment rights at local meetings. 
It’s a textbook example of federal agencies getting pulled into local disputes when the politics align. Parents pushing back against school policies shouldn’t trigger counterterrorism tools. The optics and the paper trail make “weaponized” a fair description here.