A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION, Urging the Associated School Boards of South Dakota to immediately discontinue any affiliation with or participation in the National School Boards Association.

WHEREAS, in a letter to President Biden, dated September 29, 2021, the National School Boards Association claimed that "America's public schools and its education leaders" were "under an immediate threat" from attendees at school board meetings across the United States; and

WHEREAS, in the letter to President Biden, dated September 29, 2021, the National School Boards Association requested that the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other agencies, initiate an investigation of parents and stakeholders, and cited news articles about “extremist hate organizations showing up at school board meetings"; and

WHEREAS, in the letter to President Biden, dated September 29, 2021, parents are labeled as domestic terrorists, with no evidence to justify that term; and

WHEREAS, in a memorandum dated October 4, 2021, United States Attorney General Merrick Garland indulged the National School Boards Association in its abhorrent attempt to intimidate parents; and

WHEREAS, this joint effort of the federal government and the National School Boards Association to smear engaged citizens has served to increase tensions at school board meetings and has imposed a chilling effect on the ability of citizens to exercise their constitutional right to freely petition their government, without fear of reprisal; and

WHEREAS, to date, at least twenty-one state school board associations have withdrawn as members of the National School Boards Association; and

WHEREAS, under immense public pressure, the National School Boards Association, on October 22, 2021, issued an apology regarding the Association's letter to President Biden; and

WHEREAS, the Associated School Boards of South Dakota issued a statement distancing itself from the actions of the National School Boards Association; and

WHEREAS, the correspondence referenced herein requires a response that, rather than merely provide distance, sets forth, in no uncertain terms, South Dakotans do not, and will not, support any organization that engages in threatening, antagonistic, or un-American behavior toward concerned citizens:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the House of Representatives of the Ninety-Seventh Legislature of the State of South Dakota, the Senate concurring therein, that South Dakotans are involved and engaged in their government, at all levels, and they care enough to fight for a better and brighter future -- a goal that should never be questioned or subverted by any entity; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that because the position taken by the National School Boards Association is not in line with South Dakota values or the future that South Dakotans see for succeeding generations, the Associated School Boards of South Dakota is urged to immediately discontinue any affiliation with or participation in the National School Boards Association.