National Education Association removes Indigenous resource over concerns about antisemitic content

The National Education Association (NEA) has removed an external resource from its website after determining that it did not meet the organization's standards. The NEA said the resource, which had been linked on its website and used by various news outlets and organizations, contained content that was not consistent with the association's values.

In a statement, the NEA explained: “NEA offers resources to our members on a wide range of issues to help them better understand the topics shaping their communities. It has come to our attention that an external resource that was linked to on NEA’s website, which has been widely used by many news outlets and organizations for many years, falls well short of our standards."

The organization said it provides resources to help educators learn about the history and culture of Native tribes and Indigenous peoples in North America, particularly around Indigenous People’s Day. The NEA noted: "Like educators in their classrooms – we learn and correct our mistakes when we find them. After we became aware of content on this external website – particularly related to Israel and Palestine - we conducted our own deeper review including of links to additional third-party hosted content. Upon that review, we immediately removed this resource from the NEA website."

The NEA added: “We condemn in the strongest of terms the deeply offensive content linked on the website, and our team is working to identify a resource that meets our specific needs and standards. We have contacted the host organization to flag our serious concerns and have urged them to conduct a thorough review."

The association also reaffirmed its opposition to antisemitism: “NEA has opposed antisemitism throughout its history and is deeply committed to ensuring the safety and inclusion of Jewish educators and students. Without equivocation, NEA stands strongly against antisemitism."

The statement concluded with a commitment to combat all forms of discrimination: “NEA will continue our work to combat antisemitism, anti-Palestinian bigotry, anti-Arab racism, and all forms of discrimination against all people. And we stand with the Native and Indigenous peoples across North America whose history and culture has too often been erased.”