The Missouri School Boards Association (MSBA) has withdrawn its participation in the National School Boards Association (NSBA), effective immediately.

A letter from MSBA Executive Director Melissa Randol to MSBA members says, “This decision was not made lightly. The National School Boards Association, through its recent actions- such as its letter to the White House- has demonstrated it does not currently align with MSBA’s guiding principles of local governance.”

Randol says school boards have always been asked to make tough decisions and do what is right for the students under their responsibility, and “These decisions often bring about thoughtful and rigorous discussion, which we believe is crucial to the discernment process.”

Randol adds, “No school board member nor educator should ever have to endure threats of violence or intimidation against themselves or their families for making these difficult decisions. However, attempting to address that issue with federal intervention should not be the first step in most cases, and it is antithetical to our longstanding tradition of local control. Further, the use of inflammatory terms in the NSBA letter is not a model for promoting greater civility and respect for the democratic process.”

The NSBA recently distributed an apology statement. Randol says, “While that is a step ion the right direction, we believe NSBA still has significant work ahead, both implementing processes and procedures to prevent similar problems in the future, as well as repairing their fractured relationships.”

However, Randol says “Our withdrawal from NSBA will not have any effect on the MSBA programs and services that you rely on. MSBA will continue to offer first-class service to all of our members, so you can continue your important mission of helping all Missouri students succeed.”