What we know about Texas colleges reviewing courses amid push to limit gender identity instruction

Chancellor Glenn Hegar announced on Sept. 9 a systemwide audit of course offerings, a day after Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian, posted a secretly recorded video of the children’s literature class.

The clip went viral, and within days, professor Melissa McCoul was fired, the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and the head of the English Department were removed, and Welsh resigned under pressure from state leaders who said he had mishandled the controversy.

Hegar has not publicly detailed how the course review will be carried out or what criteria will be used.

Chancellor Tedd Mitchell directed the presidents of the system’s five universities to review course materials, syllabi and curricula.

In a Sept. 25 letter, Mitchell told the university presidents to “make timely adjustments where needed” to comply with President Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order, Gov. Greg Abbott’s Jan. 30 letter and House Bill 229, all of which recognize only two sexes, male and female. None of them directly requires or mentions restrictions on teaching.

“While recognizing the First Amendment rights of employees in their personal capacity, faculty must comply with these laws in the instruction of students, within the course and scope of their employment,” Mitchell wrote.

The order offered no details on how the reviews would be conducted, leaving faculty uncertain about what changes might follow and drawing criticism from free speech and LGBTQ+ advocates who called it censorship and accused it of being cruel to trans and nonbinary students.

Mitchell’s directive came after Angelo State University, part of the Texas Tech System, told faculty they could not discuss transgender and nonbinary identities in their classes, making it the first known public Texas university to restrict classroom acknowledgment of such gender identities.

On Sept. 29, Chancellor Michael Williams directed each UNT System institution to conduct an expedited review of its academic courses and programs, including a complete syllabi review, to ensure compliance with “all current applicable state and federal laws, executive orders, and court orders.” Campuses have until Jan. 1 to finish the reviews.

Although Williams’ letter did not mention Trump’s executive order, Abbott’s letter or House Bill 229 like Mitchell’s directive did, a UNT system spokesperson told The Texas Tribune they will be considered in the course reviews. But when asked whether the system believes those measures prohibit schools from teaching that there are more than two sexes, or what the reviews will specifically look for, the spokesperson said only that those questions “will be discussed in the reviews.”

A UT System spokesperson told the Tribune that the system is reviewing “gender identity” courses across all campuses “to ensure compliance and alignment with applicable law and state and federal guidance, and to make sure any courses that are taught on UT campuses are aligned with the direction and priorities of the Board of Regents.” The review will be discussed at the regents’ November meeting, the spokesperson said.

The UT System did not cite any specific measures that had triggered the reviews. The spokesperson did not say whether the system was interpreting and applying the president’s executive order, the governor’s letter or House Bill 229 in the same way as Texas Tech did.

The UT System also did not clarify what “reviewing gender identity courses” means in practice or whether it intends to prohibit or alter such classes.

University of Houston System officials said they are conducting a review of the system's general education courses. A spokesperson said the review is tied to compliance with Senate Bill 37 and did not cite Trump’s executive order, Gov. Greg Abbott’s letter or House Bill 229 as the reasons why they are doing it.

The spokesperson said UH follows state and federal law and expects faculty to teach according to their syllabus.

A Texas State University spokesperson said an English course on LGBTQ+ communication studies was removed from the university's course catalog on Sept. 17. The spokesperson did not say why the decision was made, but the removal came after state Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian, criticized it on social media.

John Hayek, the Texas State University System's vice chancellor for academic and health affairs, also asked each campus to review courses, programs and syllabi "in light of recent inquiries," according to an Oct. 1 email he sent to academic leaders. Hayek wrote that the review aims to verify course descriptions, assess alignment with student and workforce needs, and reaffirm the academic value of each course or program. Summaries of each university's findings are due on Jan. 20.

As of Monday afternoon, the Texas State University System had not responded to questions about the review or what prompted it.

Texas Woman's University System is "in the process of establishing a review of academic courses and programs, in accordance with all applicable state and federal laws,"a spokesperson said. The system, which is the state's newest and smallest with campuses in Denton, Dallas and Houston, did not specify what the review will look for or whether it could result in changes to courses or programs.

In the Houston area, San Jacinto College "has made faculty and staff aware" of Trump’s executive order, Gov. Abbott’s letter and House Bill 229, according to Amanda Fenwick, a spokesperson for the college. Faculty have been instructed to do a review of course content, she said.

“San Jacinto College is committed to understanding and following federal and state laws and ensuring that all employees — including faculty — are compliant,” Fenwick wrote in a statement to the Tribune.

As part of the review, faculty have been asked to ensure course content is aligned with student growth goals, which are in the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Academic Course Guide Manual and Workforce Education Course Manual, Fenwick said.

Texas has 50 community colleges. It is unclear if any other school is planning to review their courses. The Tribune also reached out to Alvin Community College and Blinn College, but they have not responded.

Sneha Dey contributed to this story.

The Texas Tribune partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.

Disclosure: Texas Tech University System and University of North Texas have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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