Moms for Liberty starts local chapter, SPS board member invites its leaders to meeting

The Florida-headquartered Moms for Liberty organization — recently labeled an anti-government extremist group by the Southern Poverty Law Center — has opened a Greene County chapter and two of its leaders were recently invited to attend a Springfield school board meeting.

The invitation came from board member Maryam Mohammadkhani.

Mohammadkhani confirmed she made the invitation after meeting chair Megan Patrick and vice chair Lizzie Nothum at the June 20 special meeting of the Nixa school board. The sole agenda for the meeting was to determine if seven challenged or flagged books should be removed or restricted.

Nothum and Patrick, who was wearing a Moms for Liberty shirt, sat next to Mohammadkhani. On the other side was David Nokes, a retired police officer and outspoken opponent of critical race theory who urged the board to remove a library book that he said portrayed law enforcement negatively.

At the Springfield board meeting June 27 — the one Moms for Liberty was invited to attend — Mohammadkhani said she did not know the local Moms for Liberty leaders prior to the Nixa meeting and, at that point, had never heard of the controversial "parents' rights" group.

"The Moms for Liberty women knew nothing of the Springfield board and our operations but they represented the Greene County chapter so they indicated their interest in learning more," Mohammadkhani said. "I did indeed invite them to our next board meeting, which is tonight, and explained to them that just like Nixa our meetings are open to the public and they are welcome to attend."

She added: "I'd like to assume that any one of us would have done the same thing."

Mohammadkhani, participating in the June 27 meeting via Zoom, responded at length to a concern that had been raised by a Springfield teacher about the invitation.

In a closed Facebook page for the local Moms for Liberty, chair Megan Patrick shared a news story about the Nixa meeting — at which all but one of the seven books in question was removed or restricted — and wrote: "The Nixa board meeting was really good! Here is the article of the happenings. So glad I wore the 'Moms for Liberty' shirt. Lizzie Nothum and I made a great contact with Dr. Maryam Mohammadkhani of the Springfield school board and she invited us to next Tuesday's meeting. We are just getting started!"

Two days after that meeting, a Springfield teacher attached that screenshot in an email to the entire Springfield school board.

The teacher said the invitation Mohammadkhani extended to the local chapter was "very concerning" and cited examples from the SPLC's "The Year in Hate and Extremism 2022" report, which alleged Moms for Liberty "has been responsible not only for unsafe policies towards LGBT students and educators but historically the group has been responsible for unsafe actions towards students of color as well."

In the email to the board, the teacher wrote: "My goal in this email is to inform the board of the unprofessional and politically biased actions of this board member."

The News-Leader reached out to Patrick and Nothum by email but has not heard back. Both are Willard parents who have actively filed or supported book challenges in that district.

Moms for Liberty reject 'extremist' label

Set up as a "social welfare" nonprofit, Moms for Liberty was founded in 2021 by Florida Republicans and can engage in political activity without disclosing its financial backers. Active in more than 40 states, there are also chapters in Kansas City and St. Louis.

Early on, Moms for Liberty gained prominence by opposing school mask mandates and virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Leaders of the group say they are fighting for parents' rights and against the "woke indoctrination" of students. The SPLC, a nonprofit civil rights advocacy group, said the Moms for Liberty organization has fought against inclusive curriculum and training, critical race theory, LGBTQ rights, and what they view as inappropriate books in classrooms and school libraries.

The group, which has refuted the "extremist" label, has been outspoken about its efforts to "flip" school boards — endorsing likeminded candidates in local races — and encouraging parents to remove their children from public schools that do not make changes sought by the group.

More: 'A leftist attack': Co-founder of Moms for Liberty rejects SPLC's 'extremist' label

According to the SPLC, the group has harassed school officials, disrupted school board meetings, advocated for the abolition of the U.S. Department of Education and spread misinformation.

A week ago, U.S. presidential candidates including Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley spoke at the Moms for Liberty national summit in Philadelphia.

'The presence of activists in our midst'

At the Springfield board meeting June 27, Mohammadkhani said training offered by the Missouri School Boards' Association inspired her to attend the Nixa meeting, where she hoped to "initiate a working relationship" with the members of that board.

"They exemplify good governance and can be a tremendous resource," she said. "It is valuable to connect with other boards, especially regional ones, so we can help each other in our service to the public."

Mohammadkhani said she had never heard of Moms for Liberty — or the Southern Poverty Law Center — and likely only met local chapter leaders because she chose a seat at the Nixa meeting "close to the exit and next to a friend I spotted in the crowd."

"I didn't really think twice about that interaction until I received this accusatory email from the educator constituent. As someone whose character has been publicly and unjustly assassinated by misinformed individuals I decided, you know what, I am going to look up this heathen organization and see what they are all about."

She then read passages from the Moms for Liberty website including the group's mission and vision and how it is fighting for America and families by "holding leaders accountable, spreading awareness, opposing government overreach, promoting liberty, engaging on key issues."

"As I already stated, I don't know these individuals," Mohammadkhani said. "But I wanted to share the principles of their organization."

Mohammadkhani then turned her attention to the "accusatory" email from the teacher, saying it was a "symptom of the elephant in the room" that the board needs to address. "That elephant ... is the presence of activists in our midst who have gone unchecked for so long that they feel empowered to denigrate other constituents and an elected official based on what they perceive as wrong."

As an elected official, Mohammadkhani said she must serve as a liaison between the district and patrons, to engage the community and "encourage anyone who is interested to get involved with our schools at whatever level they can."

Board member Steve Makoski said he found the email from the teacher "concerning" and was critical of the teacher referring to Mohammadhani as "one of your" board members and not "one of ours."

"Good or bad, we should be unified and accepting of all our board members for their service to our district, which (the teacher) is a part," he wrote in the June 24 email to board president Danielle Kincaid and Superintendent Grenita Lathan.

Makoski said he was concerned the teacher didn't "approve of a member of our board inviting members of our community at large to participate in a free and open process of engagement in our public board meetings." In the email, he thanked Mohammadkhani for her service.

In conclusion, Mohammadkhani said activists believe they hold the "moral high ground" and that determining who or what is ethically superior is not her job or "within the purview of public school educators."

"This unprofessional and politically biased actions that I stand accused of are in fact the behavior of some individuals within the district who in turn subject students to the same sort of ideological battery. There are numerous accounts of such behaviors to the point that students form their responses, they write their essays and they complete their projects to appease the teacher's political and personal beliefs," Mohammadkhani said.

"I don't know when this started to happen. I don't know how we got here but this is not education and I find it especially egregious in the public K-12 setting. Everyone, including our staff, is entitled to their opinion and free speech is indeed protected — outside of the classroom."

More: In largely symbolic vote, Mohammadkhani rejects SPS budget as 'status quo'

Mohammadkhani said she asked Lathan to remind employees about the guidelines for ethnical behavior during the back-to-school refresher. She said Lathan has been "hesitant" to insert it into the August training.

"We don't want to run the risk of well-intentioned staff inadvertently stepping outside their role as educators and engage in what may be characterized as activism and ideologic indoctrination of students," she said.

Claudette Riley covers education for the News-Leader. Email tips and story ideas to criley@news-leader.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: SPS board member invites local leaders of Moms for Liberty to meeting