The Department of Justice will soon launch a nationwide effort to combat the “rise in criminal conduct directed toward school personnel,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced late Monday. 

What You Need To Know

  • The Department of Justice will soon launch a nationwide effort to combat the "rise in criminal conduct directed toward school personnel,” Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Monday

  • The effort comes less than a week after the National School Boards Association penned a letter to President Joe Biden asking federal assistance to investigate and stop threats made over policies including mask mandates

  • The FBI and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices will meet with city, state, Tribal and local leaders over the course of the coming months to create specific strategies

  • The DOJ will also create specific training and guidance for school board members and school administrators to help them understand what type of behavior rises to a potentially criminal level, how to report any threats to law enforcement agencies and ways they can aid investigations by obtaining and preserving evidence

The new effort comes less than a week after the National School Boards Association penned a letter to President Joe Biden asking federal assistance to investigate and stop threats made over policies including mask mandates, likening the vitriol to a form of domestic terrorism.

At Garland’s directive, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices will meet with city, state, Tribal and local leaders over the course of the coming months to create specific strategies to address the “disturbing trend.” 

“Threats against public servants are not only illegal, they run counter to our nation’s core values,” Garland wrote in part. “Those who dedicate their time and energy to ensuring that our children receive a proper education in a safe environment deserve to be able to do their work without fear for their safety.”

The DOJ will also create specific training and guidance for school board members and school administrators to help them understand what type of behavior rises to a potentially criminal level, how to report any threats to law enforcement agencies and ways they can aid investigations by obtaining and preserving evidence. 

The leter from the the National School Boards Association, which represents more than 90,000 school board members in 14,000 public school districts, asked the Biden administration to get involved to investigate cases where threats or violence could be handled as violations of federal laws protecting civil rights. It also asked for the Justice Department, FBI, Homeland Security and Secret Service to help monitor threat levels and assess risks to students, educators, board members and school buildings.

“As these acts of malice, violence, and threats against public school officials have increased, the classification of these heinous actions could be the equivalent to a form of domestic terrorism and hate crimes,” the association wrote.

The DOJ urged the public that threats of violence against school officials and employees can be reported via the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center (NTOC) via its national tip line (1-800-CALL-FBI) or online through its website.

"Reporting threats of violence through NTOC will help the federal government identify increased threats in specific jurisdictions as well as coordinated widespread efforts to intimidate educators and education workers," the agency said in its release.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.