SPARTANBURG, SC (WSPA) — The South Carolina school board officially voted on Friday to cut ties with the National School Boards Association. This follows a National Council letter to President Biden that South Carolina leaders say misrepresents the state.
The letter raises concerns about the safety of national school board members. It specifically called for a federal investigation into reports of threats and attacks against its members, many of which relate to people’s stance on COVID-19 policies in schools.
The NSBA said groups opposed to COVID-19 policies have been linked to hate groups, including several injuries and arrests across the country.
“American public schools and their education officials are under immediate threat. The National
The School Boards Association (NSBA) respectfully requests federal law enforcement and other assistance
address the growing number of threats of violence and acts of intimidation occurring across the
nation,” the letter read.
“We felt that the letter from the NSBA simply did not represent the values we have in South Carolina,” said Scott Price, executive director of the South Carolina School Boards Association.
According to the South Carolina School Boards Association, they strongly support parent input.
“With everything that was going on, with everything that school boards were already dealing with in South Carolina, we knew this was an issue that was going to come up and has come up in some local school board communities,” Price said. “The board has determined that it is in the best interest to protect our members and leave the National School Boards Association immediately.”
The council also expressed concern about the call for federal intervention.
“We were also concerned about the call for federal action through the letter and again, our values for South Carolina reflect local decision-making and local control,” Price said.
On Friday, a special meeting was called to finalize national membership for state school boards. The decision removed the SCSBA from the NSBA.
“The strongest school council system we can have will be one that involves parents with community input and parental input. So that was a value that we felt didn’t agree with the characterization that the NSBA made about it,” Price explained.
According to the South Carolina School Boards Association, due to the withdrawal of its members at the national level, they are losing resources such as specific training, development, as well as legal and legislative advocacy at the federal level.
The state board says it is actively looking for ways to fill that void and is confident that South Carolina school boards have the resources to continue providing the best education for its students.
“The focus has always been on the students, providing education and ensuring that we have the best education available to students in South Carolina,” Price said. “It was a difficult decision, but we believe it is in the best interests of our members and we are not going to miss a beat. We will continue to move forward. »
