On Oct. 4, Garland sent a memo to the FBI, every U.S. attorney and the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
"In recent months, there has been a disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff who participate in the vital work of running our nation's public schools," Garland wrote
Oct. 4. "While spirited debate about policy matters is protected under our Constitution, that protection does not extend to threats of violence or efforts to intimidate individuals based on their views."
Garland told the FBI to hold meetings across the country and bring together leaders at all levels of government to discuss "strategies for addressing threats against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff, and (to) open dedicated lines of communication for threat reporting, assessment, and response."
The focus, Garland said, is on
criminal conduct.
Justice Department spokesman Wyn Hornbuckle said nothing in Garland’s memo amounted to an "effort to silence those with particular views about COVID-related policies, school curricula, or other topics of public discussion."
"The department’s efforts are about rooting out criminal threats of violence, not about any particular ideology," Hornbuckle said.
