Two internal bodies ruled her termination unjustified—leadership proceeded anyway
A university's internal review committee voted 8-0 that a professor's firing was unjustified. Leadership went ahead with it anyway.
Dr. Melissa McCoul spent nearly eight years building her career at Texas A&M University. She was a senior lecturer in the English Department, known for popular children's literature courses that filled within hours of registration opening. Her most recent evaluation noted she "exceeded expectations." She had never been reprimanded.
Then, according to a federal lawsuit filed on February 4, she was terminated by email—from an administrator she had never met—on the same day Texas Governor Greg Abbott publicly called for her firing on social media.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, offers a case study in what can go wrong when external pressure collides with internal process.
The trouble began in summer 2025, when McCoul taught a course exploring themes of gender identity and sexual orientation in children's literature—topics she maintains were consistent with the syllabus and approved course objectives. A student posted a slide from class to social media. The post went viral. Politicians weighed in. Abbott's post demanding her termination drew 2.2 million views.
According to the lawsuit, the university moved fast. McCoul was dismissed that same day. There was no notice of intent. No written charges. No opportunity...
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