PEN America and 36 Groups Urge Texas A&M Regents to Scrap New Teaching Restrictions

Overview

• PEN America and 36 partner organizations sent a February 10 letter asking the Texas A&M Board of Regents to rescind revised Policies 08.01 and 12.01.
• The groups argue Policy 08.01 bans advocacy of race or gender ideology and topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity, while Policy 12.01 bars teaching material not in an approved syllabus.
• PEN America cites university reports of hundreds of altered syllabi, the cancellation of some classes including a graduate Ethics in Public Policy course, and the announced closure of the Women’s & Gender Studies program.
• The letter highlights a specific instance in which Plato’s Symposium was removed from a philosophy course syllabus under the new regime.
• Signatories include AAUP, AFT, FIRE, the ACLU of Texas, major scholarly associations, and student advocates, who warn the full instructional impact is still emerging.