WASHINGTON—Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) joined leaders from parental rights groups on Capitol Hill on July 15 to ask President Donald Trump to vindicate parents who say they were targeted by law enforcement after they pushed back against COVID-19 restrictions in schools.

“Parents don’t surrender their rights at the school doors,” Biggs said.

“They don’t answer to school boards, and they certainly don’t take marching orders from a weaponized Department of Justice.”

The event was hosted by Parents Demanding Justice Alliance, a cohort of parent’s rights groups including Moms for America, Mom & Dad Army, and Moms for Liberty.

Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), who organized the press conference, was unable to attend at the last minute.

The groups are seeking an executive order from the president acknowledging the wrongful actions of the Department of Justice and other government agencies, and accountability for the government officials involved.

They also want financial restitution for legal fees, loss of income, and reputational damage.

The issue stems from a September 2021 letter by the National School Boards Association, asking President Joe Biden to help deal with “acts of malice, violence, and threats” by parents who opposed school COVID-19 policies such as mask mandates. The parents were also outspoken against the teaching of “critical race theory,” the letter said.

The letter equated these alleged threats to “domestic terrorism,” and asked Biden to examine if they are punishable under the Patriot Act. The group later apologized for this rhetoric.

In an Oct. 4, 2021, memo, then-Attorney General Merrick Garland directed the FBI and U.S. attorneys to coordinate with local law enforcement agencies in clamping down on the alleged threats.

Later, testifying before the House Judiciary Committee on Oct. 21, 2021, Garland said he couldn’t imagine applying the Patriot Act against parents complaining about their children, or labeling such parents “domestic terrorists.”

“I want to be clear, the Justice Department supports and defends the First Amendment right of parents to complain as vociferously as they wish about the education of their children, about the curriculum taught in the schools,” he said.

Speakers at Tuesday’s event said this resulted in real harm for parents around the country, who were labeled “extremists,” and faced retaliation from law enforcement after speaking up at school board meetings.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the DOJ for comment.

Update: A previous version of this article contained incomplete descriptions of claims made by two parents’ rights advocates regarding alleged targeting by federal authorities, along with related quotes that lacked due context. Those claims and quotes have been removed.