89: Professor Fired for Challenging COVID Policies — Michael Phillips

It's easy to defend speech you agree with. But the fight for free speech truly begin when you support someone with whom you disagree. Which makes this conversation I had with professor Michael Phillips particularly significant.

Michael Phillips is a history professor at Collin College in McKinney, Texas. He spoke out about the College’s response to the pandemic on his personal social media. According to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), "In reference to the College’s decision to open for in-person learning in the fall of 2020, Phillips posted, '[T]hat feeling when your employer doesn’t value your health and safety.' Phillips also publicly shared a slide in which College faculty were told they could not request, require, or recommend wearing masks at the beginning of the fall 2021 term. Phillips later recommended masking in a history course covering the history of pandemics and preventative measures. Ultimately, Collin College terminated Phillips, citing his speech."

Professor Phillips is suing the college, with the help of FIRE, on the grounds that the college violated Professor Phillips' First Amendment right to free speech.  

Coverage by FIRE: https://www.thefire.org/cases/collin-community-college-district-history-professor-fired-for-talking-about-history-criticizing-the-colleges-covid-19-response/ 

Coverage in the Texas Tribune: https://www.texastribune.org/2022/03/08/collin-college-free-speech-lawsuit/ 

Coverage in the Dallas Observer: https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/fired-history-professor-michael-phillips-sues-collin-college-over-free-speech-violations-13560474

Support FIRE: https://thefire.org/

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