Staff Reports
The latest move by Attorney General Pam Bondi is potentially setting off fireworks in conservative circles as she casually dropped a footnote that tosses aside a memo dubbed by some as the parenting policy equivalent of the Patriot Act. The memo from former Attorney General Merrick Garland that directed the FBI to investigate parents attending school board meetings was nixed faster than a Zoom call at quitting time. With this one simple act, Bondi has rolled back the Biden administration’s most absurd attempt to paint regular parents, merely voicing concerns for their children’s education, as “domestic terrorists.”
Garland’s infamous October 2021 memo, which sent shockwaves through the nation, was based on dubious claims of a “disturbing spike in harassment” at school board meetings. Local parents worried about radical curricula were suddenly thrust into the crosshairs of the federal government, leaving many wondering whether their next PTA meeting might come equipped with a SWAT team. Bondi’s recent footnote rescinded this directive with the subtlety of a bulldozer, essentially saying, “Let’s not weaponize the government against parents who just want a say in their kids’ education.”
Trump DOJ uses footnote to rescind Merrick Garland memo targeting parents as 'domestic terrorists' https://t.co/KIfm2o2rP5
— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) March 5, 2025
In a show of commitment to sanity, Bondi also introduced a “Weaponization Working Group.” This task force will investigate not only the missteps of the Biden DOJ but also the culture of fear instigated by Garland’s earlier directives. The rationale is straightforward: parents expressing genuine concerns about their children’s education deserve to be treated as stakeholders, not suspects. It seems the more things change in the Department of Justice, the more they stay the same—unless you happen to hire someone who believes that parents have rights too.
Meanwhile, critics of Garland’s original memo were undoubtedly breathing sighs of relief. The extreme rhetoric that had parents worrying they would be treated like criminals is now in the rearview mirror. Advocacy groups, such as Parents Defending Education, have cheered Bondi’s decision, marking it as a notable victory for families who felt silenced under the previous administration’s heavy-handed tactics. The memory of NSBA’s unfortunate letter to President Biden, suggesting that dissent at school board meetings amounted to domestic terrorism, now looks like a bad joke from a bad sitcom.
Even with the rescission of Garland’s memo, some leaders remain skeptical. The ghosts of the previous administration’s tactics loom large, and while Bondi’s cancellation is welcome news, the fallout of trying to intimidate parents isn’t entirely gone. Yet the decision is a step in the right direction, moving toward accountability and reinforcing that parental engagement should not trigger an FBI investigation. If only every bureaucratic snafu could be resolved with a lighthearted footnote!
