Texas A&M did not have good cause to fire a professor after a video of a gender lesson created a political storm, and the school failed to follow due process, a faculty appeal committee found.
Funeral in Houston stopped mid-service as owners face identity-theft accusationsPolice car at nightHouston Humane Society seeks holiday fosters for pets in needVisa delays and policy changes not stopping international students at Rice UniversityTexas A&M University did not have good cause to fire Melissa McCoul, an English professor thrust into the spotlight after a video of her discussing gender identity circulated online and drew political backlash, a faculty committee unanimously found in a new report.
The university fired McCoul after a student secretly recorded her in a summer class teaching that there are more than two genders. The video was posted to X by state Rep.Texas A&M did not dismiss her until after Harrison’s post in September went viral. It said it did notfor teaching there are more than two genders, but for failing to change her course content to align with the catalog description. There is no state or federal law prohibiting instruction on gender identity in college classes. She appealed the termination through the university’s Committee on Academic Freedom, Tenure and Responsibility. An eight-member panel from the committee held a full-day hearing on Nov. 3 and issued its findings to Interim President Tommy Williams on Nov. 18. Williams can accept the finding and reinstate McCoul or reject it and uphold her termination. The committee reviewed all three reasons Texas A&M gave for firing McCoul — that she failed to perform her duties, violated policies and acted unprofessionally — and unanimously rejected each one. It also found the university failed to investigate, did not follow its own policies and never proved the allegations used to justify her dismissal. “The university did not provide any documentary evidence that it conducted an investigation, nor did it provide compelling testimony to explain the decision to forgo due process,” the report said, adding that the lack of review “caused considerable confusion in the president’s office and the TAMU administration.” Texas A&M administrators are required to meet with an instructor and notify them when a dismissal is being considered so they have an opportunity to respond before any action is taken. The committee said it heard testimony from university officials acknowledging that they didn’t do that with McCoul. The committee also found that McCoul was never told to change her course content and did not have the authority to assign a different course number, even though one university official cited that as “one of three strikes” against her. Finally, the committee said the university should’ve investigated the student who recorded McCoul to determine whether her behavior violated university rules that state disrupting or interfering with instruction can lead to disciplinary action.Texas A&M said in a statement that officials are aware of the Committee on Academic Freedom, Tenure and Responsibility’s “non-binding findings” and that Williams has received the report and will review it “carefully before making a decision in the coming days and weeks.” McCoul’s attorney, Amanda Reichek, said in a statement that her client is “pleased and thankful” with the committee’s findings and waiting to see if Williams will reinstate her. If he does not, she said, McCoul will “swiftly pursue her First Amendment, due process and breach of contract claims in court.” Reichek also argued the firing followed political pressure, saying “the sequence of events establishes that A&M terminated Dr. McCoul shortly after Governor Greg.” She called the university’s stated reasons “a pretext for the University’s true motivation: capitulation to Governor Abbott’s demands.”. One requires each of its 12 campus presidents to sign off on any course that could be seen as advocating for “race and gender ideology or topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity.” The other prohibits faculty from teaching material inconsistent with the approved syllabus for each course. Administrators also announced courses would be audited every semester using artificial intelligence.Illegal water, power setup found at southwest Houston homeless encampment, police sayPledge sues over severe hazing at University of Houston’s shut down Pi Kappa Phi fraternityGrab your sweaters! Houston has a cold front coming early next weekTurkey tickets replace citations in Livingston police holiday outreach programHome invasion turns deadly after masked-men break down door at apartment complex near River OaksLos Angeles authorities now believe D4vd ‘likely had help’ dismembering body of missing teenage girlKaty homeowners stopped a battery project, now the developer wants the state to overrule themFlu cases in Houston are ‘doubling’ every week as cases rise across TexasFederal court blocks Texas from using new congressional gerrymander in 2026 midtermsLoved ones seek answers after hit-and-run kills 77-year-old Galveston manHere's why we don't heat as efficiently when it's this humid outManvel raises $20K to help neighbors in need with groceries
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