NEA Jewish Affairs Caucus and JCPA Welcome New Expected Policies for 2026 NEA Representative Assembly

Ahead of the National Education Association’s (NEA) Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly (RA), scheduled to take place in Denver, CO this July 3rd through 6th, the NEA’s Jewish Affairs Caucus and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs welcomed new RA policies and rules aimed at protecting the safety and first amendment rights of Jewish and all members.

The NEA Jewish Affairs Caucus (JAC) organizes, mobilizes, and advocates for the needs and interests of Jewish educators and students within the union to ensure that antisemitism is recognized and addressed so that classrooms are free from discrimination and exclusion. The Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) has been working in partnership with NEA and the JAC to advance NEA programming, policies, and broader engagement related to countering antisemitism and hate, including numerous workshops on antisemitism, a large-scale webinar on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a new website for educators providing antisemitism and Holocaust-related tools and materials, and Jewish American Heritage Month educational resources.

Following last year’s NEA RA in Portland, JAC raised a number of serious concerns with NEA leadership related to the experience and safety of Jewish educators. Over the past months, JAC and JCPA worked in coordination with NEA leadership to advance these new policies that are intended to ensure the safety of Jewish members and educators at the RA without undermining the union’s vital commitment to free speech and democracy.

The new measures include:

• electronic voting to help reduce shouting on the floor during contentious resolutions
• stronger conduct enforcement, including prominently-displayed QR codes to immediately report offenses; immediate removal for harassment, doxxing, or violence; and single-strike warnings for any other offenses
• enhanced security, including photo ID requirements and improved magnetometers that will be up for the duration of the conference
• de-escalation training to help delegation liaisons and NEA staff better respond to conflicts
• repeated public reminders of the rules

“We want to express our gratitude to NEA leadership for their work with the JAC on these new rules, and are expressing our hopes that these will be enforced as fully and fairly as possible,” said JAC Chair Alyson Brauning. “The NEA JAC, as the leading voice in the fight against antisemitism within our union and within our classrooms, is proud of our work to advance rules that protect educators and students, including adopting clear standards for speech and conduct in all union spaces and promoting a greater understanding of the needs and concerns of Jewish members.

“We are committed to working with NEA leadership to ensure these new rules are enforced effectively and fairly, and that all complaints are responded to in a timely manner. We also reiterate that the only way to improve our safety is through engagement, and call for constructive work to improve, not undermine, the NEA’s capacity to protect its members.”

“As extreme voices on both ends of the political spectrum pit Jewish safety against democratic norms and values, it’s vital that we carve a different path forward,” said JCPA CEO Amy Spitalnick. “Teachers’ unions have been inherent to Jewish advancement and success in this country – and only by constructively engaging together will we effectively counter antisemitism, ensure the rights and safety of all students and educators, and protect public education and our democracy. That understanding is at the core of JCPA’s partnerships with both national teachers’ unions — and these new rules make clear the importance of this work. We’re grateful to the NEA and to the Jewish Affairs Caucus for their partnership in this step forward and look forward to continuing to work together toward stronger and safer unions, schools, and communities.”

JCPA’s work with the NEA and JAC is part of its broader partnerships with both national teachers’ unions focused on countering antisemitism and hate and protecting democratic norms and values.