(CNN) A former English professor at Palm Beach Atlantic University in Florida says the school terminated his contract early after a complaint that he “indoctrinated” students by teaching about racial justice.
Sam Joeckel told CNN in a statement Wednesday that he felt the university terminated his contract early “for one clear reason: my decision to teach and speak out about racial justice.”
Officials at the private Christian university notified Joeckel last month that his contract renewal was on hold while they investigated materials he used in the racial justice unit, telling him a decision would be made on March 15, CNN previously reported. The former professor told CNN during a February conversation with his employers that the investigation was prompted by a complaint from a parent.
“I believe this goes against the Christian faiths that I hold closely, and that PBA claims to hold closely,” said Joeckel in his statement this week. “The PBA chose to reject the words of Martin Luther King, Jr.: ‘Like a boil that will never heal as long as it is covered but must be opened in all its ugliness to the natural remedies of air and light. , [racial] injustice must be exposed, with all the tension it causes, to the light of human conscience and the air of national opinion before it can be cured.'”
In a statement in response to CNN’s inquiry, Palm Beach Atlantic University spokesman Jason Masterson said: “On the advice of legal counsel, the university has no comment.”
The university’s employee handbook states, “Termination of employment may occur at any time, without cause, at the discretion of the PBA.” The institution does not offer tenure, the review process for employment decisions regarding senior faculty is intended to protect academic freedom.
Joeckel said he believes “the timing of this is not a coincidence,” and pointed to rhetoric from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other “far right politicians and activists” around topics including race.
DeSantis, a Republican, has said he wants to eliminate all diversity, equity and inclusion programs at Florida’s state colleges and universities. These policies and programs are designed to improve the representation of people who have historically faced discrimination because of their race, ethnicity, disability, gender, religion or sexual orientation.
Joeckel said he plans to pursue legal options to “fight and show the PBA, and other institutions, that they can’t get away with this.”
