The Academic Freedom Alliance sent a letter to Texas Tech University protesting its suspension and investigation of Education Professor Jairo Funez-Flores. Like many others, Funez-Flores has shared his thoughts on the events in Israel and Gaza on social media. As with many academics, his views on Israel are controversial. In his case, expressing his private political opinions on social media resulted in his being suspended, investigated, and threatened with termination by his state university employer.
The professor's social media posts were first collected by Texas Scorecard, a conservative journalism site focused state politics. The site asserted that the social media posts were "antisemitic" and "do not correspond with the high standards of ethical conduct the university demands of its employees." The system chancellor and university president subsequently announced by Funez-Flores had been suspended with pay while an investigation is conducted. They denounced his posts as "hateful, antisemitic, and unacceptable."
The university's actions have been publicly reported here and here.
