AUSTIN, Texas — Texas has launched a website allowing the public to submit complaints or feedback on the state’s colleges and universities.
The portal, announced Friday by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Office of the Ombudsman, enables users to report potential violations of Senate Bill 17, the 2023 law banning diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in state schools, and Senate Bill 37, which expands administrative oversight of curricula.
Brandon Simmons, head of the Ombudsman’s office, said the website aims to foster “a collaborative, productive partnership with our institutional leaders and students.”
Lawmakers have said the measures increase accountability of higher education institutions to the public. Critics, however, have called SB 17 discriminatory and warned that SB 37 could threaten academic freedom.