![FBI and Justice Department will help protect school employees amid uptick in violence over COVID-19 policies and critical race theory](https://cbsnews3.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/r/2021/09/30/6cac460b-e7cc-4736-922d-fc3583a1fe86/thumbnail/1200x630/48c6c862484c82103085d56bbb1a9c0d/gettyimages-1234968760.jpg)
FBI and Justice Department will help protect school employees amid uptick in violence over COVID-19 policies and critical race theory
CBSN
The Justice Department and FBI were ordered Monday to help protect school employees across the U.S. following an uptick in violence against them. Attorney General Merrick Garland directed the FBI and other agencies "to discuss strategies for addressing this disturbing trend."
The order comes after the National School Boards Association sent a letter to President Joe Biden about the "immediate threat" local schools and boards are facing.
In the letter, the association, a nonprofit organization that acts as a federation of state associations of school boards, said while local school boards want to hear from their communities, they have become "susceptible to acts of violence" as they do their jobs.
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This story previously aired on Feb. 10, 2024. It was updated on Feb. 15, 2025. AMIE HARWICK (video): You can seek therapy to address an issue like depression, anxiety, a breakup. You can also seek therapy to be a better you! GARETH PURSEHOUSE (voicemail): I have so much I need to say. Please give me a chance to just say it. … Please (crying) please.
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Signaling a major shift in civil rights enforcement, the federal agency that enforces workplace anti-discrimination laws has moved to dismiss six of its own cases on behalf of workers alleging gender identity discrimination, arguing that the cases now conflict with President Donald Trump's recent executive order, court documents say.