Concerned mom's comments come amid uproar over DOJ's announcement directing the FBI to investigate violence at school board meetings
Florida mom Quisha King called for a "mass exodus" from the public school system, arguing that school systems left parents with no other choice for fighting left-wing ideas.
Her comments came during the annual Family Research Council's Pray Vote Stand Summit during a Thursday panel on "Fighting Indoctrination on a National Scale."
"I really think at this point the only thing to do is have a mass exodus from the public school system – that's it," King said. In response, she received prolonged applause, and many in the audience stood to their feet at the Leesburg, Virginia, event.
King previously drew national attention for her speech opposing critical race theory (CRT) in June. She works with the group Moms for Liberty, which is one of many battling CRT and other ideas across the nation.
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"With this FBI thing, it just made me realize – what else are we supposed to do?" King asked. "Standing up to these people doesn't seem to matter. I mean, we have – all of us – we've been at these school board meetings, we've been voicing our opinions, we're writing articles, we're emailing teachers – we're doing all that stuff. And they don't care. I'm like the only thing left to do is to just peace out."
She added that "it has to be us doing it together" in order to "really send the message that you do not have the right to indoctrinate our children."
Her comments came amid an uproar over the Department of Justice's announcement that the FBI would investigate potential violence at school board meetings. Attorney General Merrick Garland's memo on the issue raised concerns as it appeared to be in response to a National School Boards Association (NSBA) letter suggesting that officials were encountering a form of "domestic terrorism."
"While spirited debate about policy matters is protected under our Constitution, that protection does not extend to threats of violence or efforts to intimidate individuals based on their views," Garland's memo states.
Still, critics like Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., have raised concerns about DOJ restricting free speech – pointing to language in NSBA's letter that disparaged anti-CRT efforts.