By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — U.S. Representative Tracey Mann (R-KS) co-signed a letter alongside U.S. Representative Lisa McClain (R-MI) and 61 of their colleagues to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland expressing concerns with his recent FBI investigation request regarding parents speaking out against school curriculums at school board meetings.
"We have the administration and the governor of Virginia pushing back on parents who are going to school board meetings and are getting engaged and wanting to provide input," Mann said.
Mann notes that it is not the federal government's job to dig into local school board issues.
"No parent should do anything that's criminal or that's illegal in any way," Mann said. "But, when we hear talk about the DOJ starting to crack down on parents involvement in their kids' education, that's a big problem."
The question the letter raises is what does the DOJ consider criminal conduct?
"The overwhelming majority of folks that are serving on school boards want parents to be involved," Mann said. "They're doing this to help kids and we want that to continue. We don't want the DOJ stepping in and diminishing parents ability to know what's going on at school."
Mann is the only member of the Kansas delegation to sign the letter.