A Professor's Fight: Was Texas A&M Fair?

A professor at Texas A&M University is back in the spotlight after a committee said the school made a mistake by firing her. The professor, Melissa McCoul, was let go earlier this year after a video of her class went viral. In the video, a student questioned a lesson about gender identity. The committee found that the university did not follow the right steps to fire McCoul. They also said the school did not have a good reason to let her go. McCoul had been teaching for over 10 years. Many people, including Governor Greg Abbott, had called for her to be fired after seeing the video. The committee's decision is not binding, meaning the university can still choose to keep McCoul fired. The interim president will make the final call after reviewing the committee's report. McCoul's lawyer says the university seems ready to fight this decision. She also said the university gave weak reasons for firing McCoul and that the real reason was political pressure. The video that started all this showed a slide about different gender identities. Students said they were discussing a book about a middle schooler coming out as nonbinary. After a short argument about the legality of the lesson, McCoul asked the student to leave. The video was posted by a state representative, who also shared recordings of the student's meeting with the university president. McCoul had taught the same course many times before. The university ended the summer class early after the confrontation, but McCoul returned to teach in the fall. The former university president said McCoul's course content did not match the course description. But her lawyer said McCoul was never told to change her lessons. Recently, the Texas A&M Regents made a new rule. Now, professors need the school president's approval to teach about certain race and gender topics. The new policy says no course can teach about these topics unless the president approves it first.