Texas A&M System trustees approved a new policy that restricts classroom teaching on race, gender and sexual orientation unless courses receive prior system approval, citing a viral video and political pressure. The policy bars courses from advocating for “race or gender ideology” without sign-off and proposes a semesterly systemwide course review. Faculty and governance bodies responded that the rules chill academic freedom and undermine shared governance; a faculty council later concluded a recent dismissal violated academic freedom. The dispute exposes how state governing boards are rewriting curricular oversight and puts faculty dismissal and review processes at the center of legal and reputational risk for the system.