U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., on Jan. 8 accused federal officials of abusing their power, saying parents who attend school board meetings "to question the curriculum" are "flagged by the Department of Justice and the FBI." PolitiFact checks his claim.
House conservatives who held up Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s House speaker vote demanded that lawmakers review criminal investigations by the Justice Department and FBI.
Republicans are planning to create a panel that will probe federal investigations related to what they consider a "violation of the civil liberties of citizens of the United States" and the "weaponization of the federal government." On ABC’s "This Week" on Jan. 8, host George Stephanopoulos asked U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., whether he would pledge not to serve on such a subcommittee since he is part of a Justice Department investigation related to events that led up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Perry did not say he wouldn’t serve on such a panel and suggested that federal officials have overreached their power.
"We're talking about parents that go to school board meetings for the schools that they pay for with their taxes and having the temerity to question the curriculum, and then they're put on, you know, the red flagged, they’re flagged by the Department of Justice and the FBI for attending a meeting," Perry said. "That's not what America is supposed to be about. That sounds like some tinhorn Third World dictatorship."
Perry echoed a misleading and false Republican talking point that suggests federal officials target parents for their views about schools.
Garland’s school threat memo set off backlash
In September 2021, following threats against school officials, the National School Boards Association wrote a letter to President Joe Biden requesting assistance to address concerns about school employees’ and board members’ safety.
On Oct. 4, 2021, Attorney General Merrick Garland sent a five-paragraph memo to the FBI and federal prosecutors acknowledging a "disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence" against school officials. Garland directed the FBI to hold meetings across the country and bring together government leaders to discuss strategies to address those threats.
"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 wrote.
The memo focused on criminal conduct, not parents’ views about COVID-19 policies or school curriculum. The memo led to misinformation such as the debunked claim that parents who "challenge school curriculums" were being labeled "domestic terrorists."
A Trump-nominated judge dismissed a case by parents challenging the memo. The judge concluded that the memo does not target protected conduct under the Constitution and covers only criminal conduct.
Ohio lawmaker said federal officials were using threat tags against parents
We contacted Perry’s office to ask whether he had evidence that federal law enforcement officials flagged parents for questioning curriculum. We received no response.
An FBI spokesperson told PolitiFact that the agency does not "flag" parents for attending meetings and questioning their children’s curriculum.
It’s possible Perry’s claim is based on a letter Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, wrote to Garland in November 2021. Jordan wrote that he had information from a whistleblower showing the FBI was compiling threat assessments related to parents. Jordan’s letter said the FBI created a "threat tag" called EDUOFFICIALS.
The FBI uses "threat tags" to track information and spot trends — it does not necessarily signal a full investigation, which occurs if there is evidence of potential violence and violation of federal law, an FBI spokesperson told PolitiFact. The EDUOFFICIALS tag was created to track instances of threats directed against school officials.
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