The New Jersey Council of Teachers of English is dedicated to providing a harassment-free professional  experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age or religion. We do not tolerate harassment of members or attendees - in any form. Anyone violating these rules will be asked to leave the event at the discretion of any NJCTE board member.  

 

Harassment includes, but is not limited to:

• Verbal comments that reinforce social structures of domination related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, and/or religion.

• Sexual images in public spaces.

• Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following.

• Sustained disruption of sessions, talks, or other events.

• Inappropriate physical contact.

• Unwelcome sexual attention.

• Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.

 

Enforcement

Attendees and participants asked to stop harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. If a participant engages in harassing behavior during any NJCTE event or in an NJCTE space (physical or virtual), the board retains the right to take any actions to keep NJCTE a welcoming environment for all participants. This includes expulsion.

 

The board may take action to redress anything designed to, or with the clear impact of, disrupting the event or making the environment hostile for any attendees. We expect participants to follow these rules when they are participating in NJCTE sponsored events and discussions.

 

Reporting

If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, please report it as soon as possible to a board member or conference volunteer. When taking a report, we will ensure you are safe and cannot be overheard. Once safe, we'll ask you to tell us about what happened. This can be upsetting, but we'll handle it as respectfully as possible, and you can bring someone to support you. You won't be asked to confront anyone, and we won't tell anyone who you are.  Our team will be happy to help you contact local law enforcement, local support services, provide escorts, or otherwise assist you to feel safe for the duration of the event. We value your attendance and participation.

 

If you’d prefer not to make a personal report, you can also report incidents using our board email address.  This account will be monitored by board members.  While we can not promise to warn/expel those anonymously accused, we will be certain to oversee the accused’s participation during the rest of the event.

 

Harassment and other code of conduct violations reduce the value of our events for everyone. We want you to be happy at our events. You make our event a better learning experience. The New Jersey Council of Teachers of English should be a place where all people are comfortable sharing and learning; we will do everything in our power to make sure that is true.