The Texas A&M University System is the latest Texas institution to wind up in court over newly imposed restrictions on courses dealing with race, gender and sexual orientation.
Four professors, along with a faculty group, filed suit Aug. 3 in U.S. District Court against the Texas A&M University System in an attempt to restore classes that were canceled as a result of policy changes at all 12 schools in the Texas A&M System, including the main campus in College Station.
Fall classes at Texas A&M begin Aug. 24.
Under the revised rules, race, gender and sexual orientation can no longer be addressed at all in core courses, while certain other courses – such as those at the graduate level – may only include them with presidential approval.
The plaintiffs in the case are asking a judge to rule that the Texas A&M System’s changes violate the First Amendment and are therefore unconstitutional.
Texas A&M officials have said they believe the case is without merit.
The turmoil in Aggieland comes less than a month after a pair of faculty groups, including the one involved in the Texas A&M case, filed a federal lawsuit against the Texas Tech University System’s chancellor and regents over similar policy changes.
In that case, the plaintiffs allege violations of the First Amendment, as well as the 14th Amendment, claiming they are unsure what they may now teach without being disciplined.
Texas Tech leadership has publicly disputed allegations made in the lawsuit. The system says policies were adjusted as needed in order to align with state and federal laws.
Photo by Oldag07, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
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