Public higher education institutions in Texas are entering the spring semester with heightened scrutiny by Texas officials. Students now have the ability to report perceived violations of state policies on diversity, equity and inclusion.
Last weekend, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Office of the Ombudsman launched a new website, studentsfirst.texas.gov, where students can submit complaints on courses that possibly violate rules in Senate Bills 17 and 37.
The launch of this website comes as public institutions are moving to review curriculum in order to comply with these new state regulations; state officials are calling for course audits which begin this year.
Senate Bill 17 was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2023 and took effect in 2024, effectively prohibiting programs or initiatives around diversity, equity and inclusion.
Senate Bill 37, passed and enacted in 2025, came to reinforce the this ban while also increasing government oversight of higher education institutions, calling for curriculum reviews, decreasing the role of faculty senates and created the ombudsman office.
Houston business professor Brandon L. Simmons was appointed by Gov. Abbott to lead this new office, which is tasked with investigating complaints into colleges and university’s compliance of these state laws. Simmons previously served on the Texas Southern University Board of Regents.
“Through a user-friendly website and engagement on campuses across Texas, I look forward to a collaborative, productive partnership with our institutional leaders and students,” Simmons said in an announcement on Oct. 16.
According to Simmons’ office the complaints will be received in two primary ways: statutory complaints that relate to the violation of state policies, such as those restricted in SB 17, and in the form of feedback on the implementation of such policies, which will then be related to the institution.
Individuals found to have made a false complaint will be responsible for the costs of conducting an investigation into their grievance.
“The office may refuse to investigate a future complaint filed by an individual who is found to have knowingly filed a false complaint,” states the guidance published by the office.
Both Senate Bill 17 and 37 have been criticized by educators and advocates for its focus on censoring lessons and dialogues. Reports of these types of discussions have already led to the firing of Texas educators and lawsuits on their behalf.
Texas A&M University fired Melissa McCoul last fall after a secret recording of a lecture on gender identity during a children’s literacy class went viral. The Texas A&M System also instructed campus presidents to sign off on any course that could include gender identity and race ideology discussions, as reported by the Texas Tribune.
“Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas lawmakers’ clamor for the dismissal of professors who say things they disagree with amounts to government thought policing. Partisan intrusion into the classroom is censorship and fundamentally antithetical to academic freedom and the mission of higher education,” states a statement by Todd Wolfson, president of the American Association of University Professors, issued in September.
The San Antonio Report partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.
