Missouri School Board Association withdraws participation in the National School Boards Association

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri School Board Association board of directors has withdrawn the association’s participation in the National School Boards Association due to the NSBA’s recent actions, including the letter to the White House.

Officials say the NSBA has demonstrated it does not currently align with MSBA’s guiding principles of local governance. The NSBA has come under fire for a letter to the White House encouraging federal officials to stop threats and acts of violence against school board members. The issue has become prominent among the debate about coronavirus protocols in schools.

In a release, the MSBA officials said,

We also believe that no school board member or educator should ever have to endure threats of violence or acts of intimidation against themselves or their families for making these difficult decisions. However, attempting to address that issue with federal intervention should not be the first step in most cases, and is antithetical to our long-standing tradition of local control. Further, the use of inflammatory terms in the NSBA letter is not a model for promoting greater civility and respect for the democratic process. 

From the MSBA

The organization says that the withdrawal from NSBA will not affect the MSBA programs and services.