The fallout from MassCUE’s controversial conference with anti-Israel and Holocaust speakers is snowballing.

The Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents has severed ties with Massachusetts Computer Using Educators, the Herald has learned. Meanwhile, MassCUE has placed the organization’s executive director on paid leave and is pausing operations.

The Herald last month reported on local educators and the Anti-Defamation League calling for an apology from MassCUE after the group’s fall education tech conference held a controversial panel on equity in education.

The discussion delved into the Middle East conflict in Israel and Gaza, and speakers referenced “Israeli genocide” and “Israeli apartheid.” A panelist also suggested that the teaching of the Holocaust has been one-sided.

When MassCUE’s leaders did not apologize for the discussion, five board members from the ed tech group ended up resigning.

Now, the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents — which co-sponsored MassCUE’s fall education tech conference at Gillette Stadium — announced that its executive committee has voted to sever its partnership with MassCUE. The Herald’s coverage was included in the announcement letter.

“The leaders of M.A.S.S. were unaware of the situation until we were contacted by a news reporter in late December…” M.A.S.S. leaders wrote earlier this week. “We immediately issued a statement to the news outlet expressing grave concerns that any conference speakers may have made remarks that are inconsistent with the anti-racist values of M.A.S.S.

“We contacted MassCUE officials to understand what occurred and were troubled by their apparent indifference to the severity of the situation and lack of urgency…” the leaders added.

M.A.S.S. will no longer serve as a co-sponsor of MassCUE conferences.

“We are grateful for the learning and networking our members have enjoyed through this partnership in the past,” M.A.S.S. Executive Director Mary Bourque said in a statement. “However, we were deeply concerned that MassCUE mishandled the response to concerns about remarks made by a panelist at the Fall Conference that some attendees found to be anti-Semitic.

“We felt MassCUE leaders demonstrated a lack of understanding about the severity and urgency of these concerns, and thus we decided we cannot partner with an organization whose values are not aligned with our own,” Bourque added.

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The Herald reached out to MassCUE about M.A.S.S. severing ties, and the MassCUE board of directors announced that MassCUE has placed the organization’s executive director on paid leave and is pausing operations while the board assesses how to move forward.

“Today, we find ourselves at a crossroads after a series of missteps that have resulted in a crisis of confidence and alienation among our community,” the board said in a statement.

For more than 40 years, MassCUE’s board said it has focused on inspiring and supporting educators in Massachusetts to harness technology to improve teaching and learning.

“Recently, we set out on a path to ensure equitable access for all educators,” the board added. “That decision led to a panel discussion on digital equity at our 2024 Fall Conference that went wrong, steering the conversation to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and away from the topic of education and technology. The specific language shared, which involved the conflict in Israel and Palestine, was completely inappropriate and left our conference attendees feeling hurt, angry, and offended. For this — and for the length of time it has taken us to publicly acknowledge the missteps we took as an organization — we are deeply sorry.”

The MassCUE board is composed of volunteer educators.

“… we have been overwhelmed by the fallout from the events of the conference,” the board wrote. “We recognize our failure to provide proper oversight for the panel discussion and to effectively communicate with our partners, especially our co-sponsor of the conference, the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents. We regret these actions and promise that, moving forward, we will work diligently to strengthen our governance and rebuild the trust that had been placed in us by focusing all future efforts directly on educational technology.”