The incident prompted Glenn Hegar, the chancellor of the Texas A&M University System, to order an audit of courses at all 12 schools in the system.
“It is unacceptable for A&M System faculty to push a personal political agenda,” Hegar said in a statement on Monday.
The Texas chapter of the American Association of University Professors said what happened at Texas A&M University should concern every Texan.
The student and professor are not shown and it’s unclear when the video was taken.
Texas A&M is located in College Station, about 95 miles (153 kilometers) northwest of Houston.
HOUSTON (AP) — Following the release of a video showing a student confronting a professor at Texas A&M University over her teaching of gender identity issues in a children’s literature class, the professor was fired and others were relieved of their jobs.
Melissa McCoul was fired after political pressure from Republican lawmakers, including Gov. Greg Abbott was the one who demanded her dismissal.
Glenn Hegar, chancellor of the Texas A&M University System, ordered an audit of all 12 schools’ courses as a result of the incident.
Hegar said in a statement on Monday that “it is unacceptable for A&M System faculty to push a personal political agenda.”. Training the upcoming generation of educators and childcare providers is our responsibility. Protecting kids from indoctrination should be the top priority of that duty. “.”.
All inquiries were directed to McCoul’s lawyer, Amanda Reichek, via email. McCoul has appealed her termination and “is exploring further legal action,” Reichek said in a statement. “”.
“Dr. In violation of her constitutional rights and the academic freedom that was once the defining feature of Texas higher education, McCoul was fired, according to Reichek.
Mark A., President of Texas A&M University. In a statement released Tuesday, Welsh III said that after discovering that McCoul had continued to teach material in a children’s literature course “that did not align with any reasonable expectation of standard curriculum for the course,” he ordered the campus provost to fire the instructor. “”.
Welsh stated that he had “made it clear to our academic leadership that course content must match catalog descriptions for each and every one of our course sections” after the matter was brought up earlier this summer. Welsh claimed to have found out that this was not happening on Monday.
Welsh stated that academic responsibility, not academic freedom, was at issue.
Reichek refuted Welsh’s assertions in her statement that McCoul’s instruction did not align with the course syllabus.
The catalog and the course description were completely in line with Professor McCoul’s course material, and Reichek stated that she was never told to alter it in any way. Indeed, for many years, Dr. Dot McCoul successfully and unchallengedly taught this course and others similar to it. “.”.
Welsh also ordered the head of the English Department and the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences to leave their administrative posts.
Faculty and writers’ organizations criticized Texas A&M’s actions.
According to Jonathan Friedman, Sy Syms Managing Director of U.S. S. PEN America Free Expression Programs, according to a statement.
Every Texan should be concerned about what transpired at Texas A&M University, according to the Texas chapter of the American Association of University Professors.
The group said in a statement that “not only has the integrity of academic freedom come under fire, but the governor himself and state politicians have trampled on a faculty member’s due process rights.”.
On Monday, the controversy started after Republican State Rep. On the social media platform X, Brian Harrison shared a video, audio recordings, and additional content in a thread. Harrison demanded the dismissal of Welsh and the professor for “indoctrinating DEI and LGBTQ people.”. “.”.
One video shows a female student and the professor arguing about gender identity lessons in a children’s literature class. The time of the video’s capture is unclear, and neither the professor nor the student are visible.
Additionally, this strongly contradicts the religious beliefs of many people, including myself. Because it is illegal and I don’t want to advocate for something that goes against our president’s laws and my religious convictions, I will not be taking part in this,” the student could be heard saying in the video.
If this class makes you uncomfortable, you are free to leave. The professor declared, “What we are doing is not unlawful.”.
The student brought up an executive order signed earlier this year by President Donald Trump, which stated that “it is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female,” during her back and forth with the professor. “”.
A Texas law went into effect in September. 1 that prohibits teaching about gender identity or sexual orientation in Texas K–12 schools. Universities and other higher education institutions are exempt from the law.
College Station, Texas A&M, is situated roughly 95 miles (153 kilometers) northwest of Houston.
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