Securing the 2024 NEA Representative Assembly
The NEA Conference and Facilities Management team will work in partnership with the Philadelphia Convention Center, local and state police, third-party security firms, and the Philadelphia hospitality industry to ensure the safety of our delegates, guests, and staff. They are at the forefront of all planning for the 2024 NEA Representative Assembly in Philadelphia, PA.
- Unarmed Uniformed Security Officers
- Uniformed and Armed Off-duty Police Officers
- Canine Units
- Host Committee Volunteer Badge Checkers
- Magnetometer Security Screening at the entrance of the Representative Assembly
- Pre-Event Threat Assessment and Daily Live Monitoring by Intelligence Firm
- Partnership with Philadelphia’s Center City Districts Safety Patrol and Community Service Representatives (CSRs). The Center City District supports efforts to make downtown safe for workers, residents, and visitors. It has expanded its programs by deploying uniformed, unarmed bicycle patrol officers and community service representatives, who effectively deter crime and have a welcoming presence in downtown Philadelphia.
Safety Tips for Delegates
Out and About
- Remove conference badges. Leave your conference badge and tote bag in your hotel room when you are not at the conference. These are signs that you are from out of town and may make you an easy target.
- Be observant of your environment. Use well-lit streets and areas that feel safe. Select routes that are the shortest distance between the host hotel and your destination but avoid deserted areas. When using an automatic teller machine, avoid using it at night. If you must, use one in a well-lit, populated area, preferably in the company of others.
- Walk with confidence. To avoid being a target, communicate the message that you are confident, calm, know where you are going, and aware of your surroundings.
- Safety in numbers. Travel in groups and avoid traveling by yourself. Make sure to check on each other periodically and agree on departure times.
- Avoid carrying all your cash with you. Always leave enough cash in your hotel room safe to get you through the conference should your money be lost or stolen. To avoid making yourself a target do not display large amounts of cash or other valuable items.
- Pay Attention. Looking down and concentrating on a mobile device while texting or listening to music through ear buds can be a hazardous activity. Doing so while you are attempting to cross a street, get on and off an escalator, walk in a crowd, or make your way through an exhibit area can all be harmful to your safety and the safety of others.
- Practice Moderation. Avoid excessive consumption of alcohol. Alcohol reduces inhibitions and impairs the capacity to reason, a perfect formula to make you a target.
- Be Mindful When Encountering a Protest.
At the Hotel
- In an emergency, contact the state’s conference coordinator immediately. They will work directly with hotel security and management to take any actions necessary.
- Familiarize yourself with your hotel’s evacuation plan and the closest exits from your room. All hotels have evacuation plans posted on the back of the hotel room doors.
- Use the hotel safe in your guestroom for valuables.
- Use security locks when in your hotel room.
- Never open your hotel room door to a stranger. Verify a visit by hotel personnel with the front desk.
- Be cautious in sharing your hotel room keys.
- Never give a stranger your room number.
At the Convention Center
- If you see something, say something!
- Familiarize yourself with the emergency exits at the convention center.
- Never leave offices unattended.
- Never leave laptops or other electronic devices unattended.
- Regardless of how secure a convention center environment may appear, keep your valuables in a safe place where you can keep an eye on them at all times.
RA Point Person for Delegate Reports of External Incidents in Philadelphia
Members should contact their state coordinators if they encounter issues and need assistance. State coordinators will be provided with NEA contact information for additional assistance when needed.
Are You Being Secretly Recorded?
Unfortunately, some right-wing activists have launched a secret recording campaign targeted at union members and leaders, and we urge you to be prepared for them to infiltrate the Representative Assembly, hotels, restaurants, and bars in the convention center vicinity. Activists using fake identities and secret recorders have used any number of harmful ruses to prey on situations where people believe they are among trusted colleagues or friends.
While their heavily edited and manipulative videos have been widely discredited for many years, their deceptive tactics and cyber-bullying can cause great personal hardship and even bring harm to our schools.
While you are at the Representative Assembly or even out socializing before or after, here are some tips to protect yourself and your association from unauthorized recording and unscrupulous smear tactics:
- Trust Your Instinct. If at any time a conversation seems as if it is drifting to something you are not comfortable with, or you suspect someone is recording you, make your exit and notify Mike Misterek (mmisterek@nea.org).
- Do not continue a conversation with someone you believe may be secretly recording you.
- Make Sure People Are Who They Say They Are. These activists have been using false identities. All Representative Assembly attendees or guests should have credentials, look for these credentials and if they do not have one, do not assume that you are talking to a trusted member. If someone with a badge is engaging in an unusual conversation that makes you uncomfortable, end the encounter.
- Be Wary About Individuals Seeking Assistance Without Details. Representative Assembly events are not the place to provide individuals advice about employment issues that unidentified individuals may have.
- Walk away from ambush interviews – if someone approaches you for an impromptu interview outside of an event, politely walk away. Avoid saying “no comment.”
- Limit access to RA and RA-related events to members. Meeting organizers should screen for delegates at doors and signs should be posted outside all events: Members Only.