University of Texas at Austin: Faculty Antiracism Research Suspended After Complaint to U.S. Department of Education

In November 2021, the University of Texas at Austin’s administration “paused” a faculty research project, “Kids Against Racism” (“GoKAR!”), evaluating how white caregivers can effectively engage in a dialogue with white children about racism. The research was suspended after Mark Perry, a professor at the University of Michigan-Flint, filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights alleging that the research violated federal anti-discrimination law. On November 24, FIRE wrote to the university expressing concern about the applicability of the law in the research context. That same day, the university’s administration permitted the research to resume.