A faculty review panel unanimously concluded Texas A&M was wrong to fire Professor Melissa McCoul over a classroom gender lesson, placing the university at the center of national debates over academic freedom and classroom speech. The panel’s ruling rebukes university administrators and highlights tensions between campus governance, political pressure, and personnel decisions on sensitive social topics. The decision is likely to prompt calls for clearer shared governance protocols and may increase scrutiny from accrediting bodies and faculty unions about due process for academic dismissals. Texas A&M must now decide whether to reinstate McCoul, negotiate settlement terms, or appeal the panel’s determination.