The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has abandoned a new policy that allowed administrators to secretly record classroom sessions after a fierce faculty backlash and ongoing litigation. Chancellor Lee Roberts told faculty that the policy failed to build trust and that no professors will be recorded until a new policy is developed. The reversal ties back to the 2024 secret recordings at Kenan‑Flagler Business School and the federal lawsuit filed by teaching professor Larry Chavis alleging retaliation and First Amendment violations. Governance officers and general counsels at peer institutions should note the political and legal risks of covert monitoring policies, and trustees need clearer protocols for balancing student complaints, faculty due process, and classroom privacy.