Identity of Speakers
-
Lora Burnett
Student
OtherLora Burnett was a professor of history at Collin College's Wylie and Spring Creek campuses
Resources
Additional Information
-
Incident Nature:
Social media
-
Incident Political Orientation:
Left wing -
Incident Responses:
Faculty sanctioned
-
Incident Status:
Settled
- Did not involve Speech Codes
Summary
According to Burnett’s complaint, Collin College administrators issued her a warning letter and eventually terminated her employment in response to tweets she posted on her personal Twitter account in the fall of 2020 that were critical of Vice President Mike Pence and Collin College President H. Neil Matkin. Allegedly, Collin College’s actions were spurred by a text message sent by Texas State Representative Jeff Leach to President Matkin; Leach publicly tweeted about Burnett’s termination before it was announced to her. This incident became part of a public controversy surrounding Collin College’s record of terminating and disciplining professors for expressing their views on issues of public concern, which drew attention to the absence of a tenure system in the College. In late January, 2022, Burnett excepted a $70,000 settlement offer.
