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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 8, 2026 CONTACT: For AAUP: Kelly Benjamin, kbenjamin@aaup.org For Texas AAUP-AFT: Marco Guajardo, mguajardo@texasaft.org, press@seekerstrategies.com For LDF: media@naacpldf.org For Lambda Legal: uihekwereme@lambdalegal.org AAUP, Texas AAUP-AFT sue Texas Tech University System over restrictive course content policies Censorship memoranda violate faculty’s First and Fourteenth Amendment rights EL PASO, Texas – Today, the American Association of Uni

The public comment window for social studies and the literary list remains open through June 15. We urge concerned parents and teachers to submit comments via the TEA website below and to contact your State Board of Education (SBOE) representative to provide direct feedback. SBOE Proposed Rules Several organizations have developed resources to assist with public comments. If this is your first time commenting on SBOE rules, they can help provide guidance. Texas Rising and

Texas University Systems are meeting this month to review and vote on proposed system policies. With each quarterly meeting, regents continue to introduce and approve policies that encroach on course curriculum and faculty teaching methods. The University of Texas, Texas Tech, University of North Texas, and Texas State University systems all held their committee meetings this past week, and our Texas AAUP-AFT members stood alongside students and alumni to stand up to policie

Across Texas, students and faculty at all seven public university systems face efforts to censor student learning and faculty teaching. These efforts have embarrassed Texas institutions of higher education on a national stage and are denying students the rigorous education they need to thrive in their careers after graduation.

Something unprecedented is happening in Texas: last Fall, state officials launched investigations into more than 350 educators based on their personal social media posts. Teachers were fired, doxed, and threatened while lawmakers have made some of these threats with impunity. This hypocrisy matters and should be worrisome to anyone that values constitutionality and individual liberties.

On Monday, January 26, Texas AFT filed a request for a preliminary injunction in our ongoing litigation against TEA’s unconstitutional investigations of educators exercising their First Amendment rights in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

On January 6, Texas AFT filed a federal lawsuit against the Texas Education Agency and Commissioner Mike Morath, challenging their unconstitutional investigation of more than 350 educators for exercising their constitutionally protected First Amendment rights on their personal social media.

A federal court in Houston held a hearing on a preliminary injunction that would block the state from enforcing key provisions of SB 12, but a ruling has not yet been made.

Texas AFT’s Committee on Political Education (COPE) is proud to endorse Gina Hinojosa for Texas Governor and Montserrat Garibay to take Hinojosa’s state House seat in Austin (HD-49).

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Dec. 8, 2025 CONTACT: Nicole Hill, press@texasaft.org Statement from Texas AFT President Zeph Capo on the announcement of a “partnership” between Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and Turning Point USA to launch chapters of the organization on every Texas high school campus: “Do you know what I’d like to see on every high school… [ more ]

Today, Texas AFT joined ongoing litigation against Senate Bill 12, a new state law that bans gay-straight alliance (GSA) clubs, prevents educators from using students’ chosen names and pronouns, and prohibits diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts from public and charter K-12 schools.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sept. 13, 2025 CONTACT: Nicole Hill, press@texasaft.org Texas formalizes online hate campaigns against individual teachers AUSTIN, Texas — In the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, private citizens of all political persuasions shared their thoughts on their personal social media accounts. A number of state representatives, including state Reps. Briscoe Cain and Hillary… [ more ]