School boards are used to dealing with local grievances. But these days, their meetings are becoming venues for national issues. These often mundane gatherings have become ground zero for heated debates over mask mandates, critical race theory, and gender pronouns.But school boards have long been local flashpoints for national issues. Are the current disputes much different from those in the past over sex education, textbooks, or the fight to keep evolution out of the classroom?Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.