Statement on Allegations of Harrassment

Recently, three members approached us with experiences that were very concerning. They alleged that they had been repeatedly harassed and threatened by one of our presenter/exhibitors based on their pro-Palestinian beliefs. This led us to carefully reevaluate a content session and an exhibitor, CAMERA. Over the last two weeks, the Presidential Team undertook a detailed and exhaustive review of the matter. On the first day of this conference, we met with the broader Executive Committee of the Board and shared our findings and recommendation. The Executive Committee, by majority vote, accepted the recommendations of the Presidential Team, and we are writing to share what we can with our broader NCTE community.

This is an extremely complicated issue because it forces a strong tension between two of our most principled positions: mutual respect and intellectual freedom. Our central question has been whether withdrawing a group’s participation would be justified based upon the facts we have now, or whether it might constitute censorship contrary to our long-standing principles and positions. It is challenging to review this situation without clarity on our longstanding principles as an organization.

Historical Guiding Principles

For over 70 years, NCTE has upheld a strong stance against censorship, championing students’ rights to read and have access to diverse and challenging texts. The right to read protects not only teachers but, perhaps more importantly, students’ right to choose what they read. Teachers are tasked with presenting a variety of literary options to their students including those that some might find objectionable. According to NCTE’s 2018 Position Statement on a Students’ Right to Read,

The right to read, like all rights guaranteed or implied within our constitutional tradition, can be used wisely or foolishly. In many ways, education is an effort to improve the quality of choices open to all students. But to deny the freedom of choice in fear that it may be unwisely used is to destroy the freedom itself. For this reason, we respect the right of individuals to be selective in their own reading. But for the same reason, we oppose efforts of individuals or groups to limit the freedom of choice of others or to impose their own standards or tastes upon the community at large.

The primary reason for this space is to provide teachers from across the country with resources to improve their work in the classroom and the educational experiences of their students. This includes providing teachers with meaningful access to books and other literature that they may not have access to without the Exhibit Hall. By design, diversity of literature plays a major role throughout our Exhibit Hall. Through the exhibitors, we seek to provide a myriad of diverse books that through our teachers provide students with the greatest array of choices. Choosing to deny an exhibitor access to our Exhibit Hall without sufficient cause denies students the right to choose because it inhibits teachers’ ability to engage with diverse literature and make it available in their communities.

We also know that the books most likely to be censored are those created by authors and illustrators who are BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and/or members of other groups whose perspectives are frequently silenced. NCTE’s direct experiences verify this, as do numerous other national reports and studies. PEN American reports that “books about race, racism, or that feature characters of color” make up 30 percent of the titles that are currently banned in 30 states. In fulfilling our commitment to supporting Black and other diverse authors and increasing accessibility to their books, we must stand firm in fighting against censorship. Anytime censorship may be applied indiscriminately, the opportunity to increase censorship rises.

A compelling and competing principle of NCTE is our Harassment and Mutual Respect Policy. At NCTE we are “committed to producing events where everyone may learn, network, and socialize in an environment of mutual respect.” This includes preventing harassment and “any other conduct that NCTE leadership finds to be unreasonably hostile, offensive, or humiliating.” It also prohibits intimidation, stalking, or following other NCTE members. Most recently, this policy was cited last year at our Convention in our “Call for a Caring Community” statement. “The goal for our Convention is for it to be one of inspiration, new ideas, and opportunities to extend care and concern for each other. This includes engaging with mutual respect on issues where individuals may disagree.”

Comprehensive Review and Findings

This is a serious matter and one that cannot be taken lightly. It requires due diligence, research, balanced judgment, expertise, and time to gather all of the relevant facts before making such a decision. To inform our decision, we spoke with three NCTE members who experienced direct criticism from CEI’s parent organization, CAMERA. Additionally, we conducted a detailed review of CAMERA’s organizational mission, tactics, and interactions. This included examining whether CAMERA qualifies as a hate group and/or whether it engages in unlawful activity. Finally, we had direct discussions with CEI representatives regarding their intentions and the materials they planned to present. CEI, founded in 2021, is CAMERA’s educational division. Its stated purpose is to “expose anti-Israel or anti-Jewish bias in educational materials, curricula, and programming and works to educate the public and redress abuses.” With separate divisions for K–12 and higher education, CEI recommends and critiques books and advises on curriculum within its space. It provides resources for educators, students, and the broader community.

Earlier this year, CEI applied to exhibit and present at this year’s Convention through our normal procedures. In their application they conveyed that they want to exhibit Jewish literature. Based on this and our guidelines for exhibitors, their application was accepted.

Complaints from NCTE members have described CEI as an aggressive advocacy group that employs intimidating and harassing tactics toward pro-Palestinian viewpoints. According to the allegations, the three impacted NCTE members have received anonymous threats, including death and rape threats, doxing, and loss of economic opportunities, to name a few. As an Executive Team, we are alarmed and disturbed by what our members have had to endure. We deeply care for and support them as members and fellow teachers, and we abhor these threats to their safety.

But a core question still remains. Who should we hold responsible for these threats? In our review, we do believe that someone threatened and engaged in harassing behavior toward these members. But, unfortunately, we were unable to determine who made the threats. Specifically, we did not find sufficient evidence to suggest that CAMERA, or CEI, harassed or threatened our members. Additionally, we did not find that CEI presents an imminent threat to our members and/or our conference environment.

That is not to suggest that some people may justifiably find CEI’s presence at our Convention to be uncomfortable­—but should discomfort alone be a sufficient reason to censor an exhibitor and its literature? If so, do we abandon our principles on combating censorship? Do we set a precedent where we must censor other authors and organizations who write and say things that are offensive to some or all of us?

As an Executive Committee, and with the help of many experts in this area, we are deeply concerned about the precedent we might set and its long-term negative implications to academic freedom if we get this wrong. If we censor CEI today for unjustified reasons, who will we censor tomorrow? For this reason, despite the horrific experiences that some of our members have encountered, we must say “no” to censorship based upon the facts currently presented to us. We do not have sufficient grounds to deny CEI a platform at our Convention. We will, however, continue to monitor all of our vendors to best ensure a safe and inclusive Convention environment.

Moving Forward

We acknowledge that today’s times necessitate that we thoroughly review our goals for the Exhibit Hall and the criteria by which we vet exhibitors and content. The Presidential Team commits to completing this work by January 31, 2025, allowing ample time for the 2025 Annual Convention Exhibit Hall to take shape. For the 2024 event, all exhibitors have received a letter that reiterates NCTE’s Mutual Respect and Anti-Harassment Policy alongside detailing the learning environment as we know it to be: an unparalleled conduit to sparking a love of teaching, a network with which to grow and sustain a teacher, and the necessary learning opportunities to develop professionally.

Earlier this year, NCTE implemented a new policy to better distribute speaking roles across the available slots. The Multiple Speaking Roles Policy is designed to expand the voices sharing content at the Convention, found here. Teachers hold expertise, and NCTE desires for that expertise to be shared, including voices at all levels of experience and across teaching settings. The 2025 Annual Convention Call for Proposals will also feature a New Teacher Strand for the first time, to expand our inclusion of content that can be especially useful to teachers entering the profession.

While at the Annual Convention, and any NCTE event, we seek an atmosphere of support for all of our members. This includes an atmosphere where dialogue, healing, and learning occur.

We look forward to NCTE’s continued evolution that holds our commitments close. We thank you for reading this, and we invite your comments here. All comments will be reviewed by the Presidential Team in December 2024.

Students depend on teachers bringing a passion for reading, writing, speaking, and listening into their classroom. We support you in doing so and will continue to evolve in support of you.