The letter said "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".
"[9] Parents who had attended school board meetings because they were concerned about whether critical race theory was being taught to their children felt this letter compared them to terrorists.
Despite this, Attorney General Merrick Garland declined to disband a task force he had assembled to tag and track parents perceived as threats.
[14] On November 11, it was discovered that the NSBA had coordinated with the White House and the Department of Justice when composing the letter.
[15] As of February 16, 2022, 29 states—Alabama, Arizona,[16] Arkansas, Delaware, Florida,[17] Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana,[18] Minnesota, Mississippi,[19] Missouri,[20] Montana, Nebraska, [21] New Hampshire,[22] New Jersey, North Carolina,[23] North Dakota, Ohio,[19] Pennsylvania,[19] South Carolina,[24] Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming—have opposed or distanced themselves from the letter and 20 states have withdrawn membership or dues from the NSBA or announced plans to do so.