The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents on Wednesday demanded an audit of all courses after a video circulated showing a student being removed from a class for challenging transgender-related course content.
In a written statement, the board said it "will not tolerate actions that damage the reputation of our institutions" and asked the chancellor to "audit every course and ensure full compliance with all applicable laws." The move followed a video shared on social media that drew attention from state lawmakers and conservative activists.
The video, posted Monday on X by Texas state Rep. Brian Harrison, shows a student in a children’s literature class interrupting an instructor to say he objects to material he described as "gender ideology." In the recording, the student asks whether it is legal to teach the material, citing a former president’s executive orders and saying the content conflicts with his religious beliefs. A woman identified in the clip later tells him, "and it's time for you to leave." Harrison said a student whistleblower provided the footage to his office and in a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott alleged that students were "forced to learn the ‘gender unicorn,’ which propagandizes extreme transgender ideology."
Harrison's letter also accused the professor of encouraging what he called "criminal child grooming" and said instructional materials suggested childhood is a time to explore gender. Those characterizations were included in Harrison's correspondence and attributed to his interpretation of the materials; the board and university did not adopt those specific phrases in their statements.
Texas A&M President Mark A. Welsh III addressed the matter in a post Monday on the university’s X account, saying university leaders discovered course content that was not consistent with the course’s published description. "I learned this afternoon that key leaders in the College of Arts and Sciences approved plans to continue teaching course content that was not consistent with the course’s published description," Welsh wrote. He said he directed the provost to remove the dean and department head from their administrative positions "effective immediately."
"Our students use the published information in the course catalog to make important decisions about the courses they take in pursuit of their degrees," Welsh added. "If we allow different course content to be taught from what is advertised, we let our students down. When it comes to our academic offerings, we must keep our word to our students and to the state of Texas."
The board’s request for a systemwide audit aims to determine whether other courses diverge from catalog descriptions or state requirements. The regents did not provide details on the scope, timeline or methodology for the audit, nor did they identify additional classes under review.
University officials did not immediately provide further comment beyond Welsh’s post. The regents’ statement emphasized ensuring "full compliance with all applicable laws" but did not name which statutes or regulations would guide the review.
The incident comes amid heightened attention to how colleges and K-12 schools address transgender topics and diversity, equity and inclusion, and follows actions in several states to increase oversight of curricula. Republican lawmakers and conservative activists have increasingly scrutinized classroom materials and faculty decisions, while university leaders have said they must balance academic freedom, students' rights and compliance with state law.
The Texas A&M system’s call for an audit and the removal of two administrators mark a rapid administrative response to the episode, which has prompted debate among students, faculty and state officials about course content, transparency and the lines between pedagogy and policy.