Paxton probes North Texas over DEI compliance after undercover video
Attorney general demands records and urges the firing of a staff member as supporters of DEI call the move political and warn of its impact on students.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Thursday opened an investigation into the University of North Texas, saying the school may be continuing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives that are prohibited under state law.
In a statement announcing the probe on April 10, Paxton said investigators will review whether UNT continues to teach DEI concepts and directs employees to follow policies barred by Texas law for state-funded institutions.
According to the Dallas Express, the inquiry follows an undercover video circulating online that appears to show a field education coordinator in the university’s social work department describing how DEI-related material is taught without using explicit terminology and suggesting ways staff could avoid triggering legal restrictions, according to Paxton’s office.
Paxton said he sent a letter to the dean of UNT’s College of Public Affairs and Community Service seeking an explanation of the employee’s statements, a description of the university’s compliance measures, copies of DEI-related policies or guidance, information on any DEI requirements tied to accreditation, and communications between leaders and staff on the topic.
In his announcement, Paxton criticized DEI efforts and called for the staff member shown in the video to be fired, saying any attempt to circumvent the state’s ban should result in “immediate termination.”
DEI supporters, including some faculty and student advocates, condemned the investigation as a politicized attack on academic programs and said efforts to support first-generation students, students with disabilities and other underrepresented groups could be chilled by enforcement actions. Representatives for those groups urged the university to be transparent about what is taught and how it aligns with state law.
The investigation is the latest in a series of disputes over DEI in Texas higher education.
In 2024, media reports said several universities, including UNT, reviewed job postings and internal guidance that referenced diversity and inclusion language after questions were raised about compliance. Paxton’s office also scrutinized UNT last year over its response to campus incidents involving student speech and safety