Florida English professor fired over teaching racial justice unit

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An English professor was fired from a Christian university in Florida after publicizing that his contract renewal was under investigation because of his lectures relating to racial justice. 

Key Players 

Samuel Joeckel taught for 21 years as an English professor at Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBA), a private Christian university based in West Palm Beach, Florida. 

Chelly Templeton, the provost of PBA, has taught at the university since 2002. She assumed her position in May of 2022, following her service as dean of PBA’s School of Education and Behavioral Studies. 

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has promoted several pieces of legislation criticized for their effect on speech in schools, including the Stop WOKE Act, targeting critical race theory, and the act nicknamed “Don’t Say Gay,” which limits what teachers can say about sexual orientation and gender identity in the classroom. In January 2023, DeSantis supported and defended the Florida education department after it blocked the introduction of its Advanced Placement African American Studies program into the state’s curriculum, criticizing the course as “indoctrination.” 

Further Details

On Feb. 15, after finishing a lecture and leaving his classroom, Joeckel found Templeton and the dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Robert Lloyd, waiting for him. In an email sent to Inside Higher Ed, Joeckel said his employers then handed him a letter notifying him that his contract renewal had been delayed pending a review of the materials contained in his lectures on racial justice. 

Joeckel told CNN that Templeton and Lloyd prompted the investigation after a student’s parent complained about the course, stating they were concerned he was “indoctrinating students.”  

On Feb. 16, in an Instagram post, Joeckel informed his followers of PBA’s actions. 

“I’ve been teaching a unit on racial justice for over ten years at Palm Beach Atlantic University,” Joeckel wrote. “Yesterday the Dean and Provost were waiting outside my classroom to inform me that my contract would not be renewed until the university analyzed my syllabi and racial-justice PowerPoint presentations to ensure that I am not ‘indoctrinating’ students. I had to laugh when the Dean cut short the meeting so that he could prepare for the arrival of Ron DeSantis and his speaking engagement on campus.”

Following this post, Joeckel began to discuss the situation with the press, first speaking to Religion News Service and, later, a number of other news outlets.

Throughout the investigation, PBA did not release any public statements, and a spokesperson from the school informed CNN that it would not be “commenting on a personnel matter.” 

Outcome 

PBA fires Joeckel, ends his contract early

On March 15, Joeckel took to Instagram for the second time to announce that not only had his contract for the next school year not been renewed, but that PBA had also terminated his contract for the current school year. He alleged this decision was made because of a “toxic political ideology.” 

“The timing of this is not a coincidence as we are dealing with an ‘anti-woke’ crusade from Governor DeSantis and other far-right politicians and activists,” Joeckel wrote, ending the post by saying that he intended to pursue legal action to “fight back and show PBA, and other institutions, that they cannot get away with this.”

The school did not publicly comment on Joeckel’s termination; however, in an internal memo from February, reported on by The Palm Beach Post, Templeton expressed interest in better understanding “the pedagogical rationale for including these extensive lectures in a composition class.” 

Students speak out in support of Joeckel

Since Joeckel publicized the investigation and his termination, students, graduates, and faculty have released messages of support, criticizing PBA. 

Ethan Hoerl, a student of Joeckel’s, said, “As a professor, he’s been absolutely wonderful. He always supported all of our ideas in class. He made sure he gave equal voice and equal weight,” per Inside Higher Ed. Holynn Middleton, a senior, said Joeckel was “the professor that I feel most comfortable saying whatever I need to in that class.”

By March 26, a petition supporting Joeckel had received 2,257 signatures, and in an open letter to the university’s president, PBA students and graduates wrote, “Restricting much needed conversations around race is — at its core — racism and discrimination itself.”

As of April 3, there were no further updates.