![]() Parents who faced threats have scrubbed their social media profiles and taken down yard signs that read “Black Lives Matter.” Some said they are planning to sell their houses and move. The dispute in Loudoun County also shows how quickly these divisions can escalate and scare people away from getting involved in the debate. “And there are several people - not just me - who absolutely know how to make sure that those things are at least exposed.” “You're dealing with a situation at a local level where a school district and school curriculum is being politicized,” said Ian Prior, a white Loudoun County parent and former spokesman for Trump’s Justice Department who is leading the school board recall effort. Fox News covered the dissension in Loudoun County on at least 24 broadcasts in eight weeks. Media-savvy parents make fiery speeches at school board meetings and then clip them into short videos that go viral on social media before making their way to cable news. Echoing former President Donald Trump’s rhetoric, they complained that districts were indoctrinating their children.īut what’s happening in Loudoun County has gone further. Parents who were drawn to school board meetings to demand in-person learning this winter kept returning to oppose lessons on bias and privilege. The battle lines in Loudoun County reflect similar clashes in communities across the country over the past year. Republican activists are working with local parents, including a former Trump administration spokesman, to recall six Democratic Loudoun County school board members, at least some of whom joined the 600-member anti-racist Facebook group. GOP candidates for the Virginia Legislature and statewide office declared their support for parents fighting racial equity initiatives. The conflict in this rapidly diversifying community, the wealthiest county in the country, in the outer suburbs of Washington, quickly became intertwined with political campaigns. Parents on both sides of the issue said they filed reports with the sheriff’s department and installed security cameras. The school board added extra security at public meetings. “We can find some middle ground.”Īs the firestorm escalated, members of the anti-racist Facebook group - including parents, teachers and school board members - were bombarded with threats, some directed at their children. “I don’t understand why we can't have a difference of opinion without an intense fight,” said Elizabeth Perrin, a white mother who was among those named in the Facebook group as a critic of school diversity plans. Parents who had been named in the group said they didn’t know what the group was planning, and they feared for their safety. But whether intentional or not, the decision to compile names was perceived as a threat. Several members of the anti-racist Facebook group said they never intended to harass anyone, and considered the name sharing in the private group to be more in line with oppositional research than an attempt at intimidation. Conservative media outlets picked up the story, framing it as a group of liberal parents dubbed the “ chardonnay antifa” creating a “ hit list” of parents who disagreed with them. ![]() Parents who had been named as opponents of school diversity initiatives called the sheriff’s office to complain.
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