A sign for the University of North Texas on Nov. 5, 2025, in Denton.
Elías Valverde II/Staff Photographer
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wants the University of North Texas to turn over any documentation about its diversity, equity and inclusion policies, arguing the school is breaking state laws to “push radical DEI ideology.”
On Friday, Paxton’s office announced the investigation, referencing a hidden-camera recording from a group called Accuracy in Media that appeared to show a UNT staffer discussing how DEI concepts appear in social work classes.
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“Texas law is clear that these DEI policies have no place in our state-funded institutions … [UNT’s] staff appears to be flaunting the breaking of state law to push radical DEI ideology,” Paxton said in a statement. “This should result in immediate termination.”
He described UNT leadership as “systematically” allowing “the worst elements of the radical Left to run its campus.”
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Texas public colleges and universities are banned under a 2023 state law from having DEI initiatives, including offices, staff, training, programs and activities based on race, color, ethnicity, gender identity or sexual orientation. Lawmakers exempted course instruction and research from the ban.
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There is no state law that explicitly bans professors from teaching about race, gender identity and sexual orientation in Texas’ public universities.
Paxton’s office requested an “explanation of the claims” made by the UNT staff member and a statement detailing UNT’s compliance with the law, according to a Friday release. He also asked for all of UNT’s DEI policies and guidance, details about DEI in accreditation standards and all correspondence between UNT leadership and staff regarding DEI.
Paxton also called for the firing of the employee seen in the video. A UNT spokesperson said Friday that the staff member is no longer employed by the university.
“The views expressed by a UNT staff member in June are inconsistent with the university’s commitments and practices as a public institution to comply with state and federal laws and regulations,” Devynn Case, a UNT spokesperson, said in a statement.
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In the hidden-camera video, a person identified as an “undercover journalist” asks the UNT staff member in the College of Public Affairs and Health Sciences whether DEI concepts would be taken out from courses due to state laws. The edited footage appears to show the staffer discussing how DEI is a “focus” in social work classes.
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“Our classes might be titled something a little different to not specifically have DEI as the class name, but it’s still an element that’s taught,” the employee says in the video.
She is heard referring to the “anti-racism, diversity, equity and inclusion” educational competency — one of nine core areas that social work students must master — set by the Council of Social Work Education, a nonprofit that sets accreditation standards for bachelor’s and master’s programs in social work.
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The competency directs students to understand “how racism and oppression shape human experiences” and “use their knowledge, awareness, and skills to engage in anti-racist practice,” according to the group’s 2022 educational policy and accreditation standards.
Paxton’s probe comes amid increased political pressure for Texas public universities to restrict how race and gender identity are taught in the classroom. While no state law bars professors from discussing such topics, university leaders have taken steps in recent months to limit faculty from promoting or advocating certain beliefs or teaching certain content related to race or sex.
Friday’s investigation also marks the second time in a year Paxton has targeted the Denton university. In October 2025, he launched an investigation, arguing the school failed to “ward off left-wing violence” in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s killing.
Related: Who is behind the DEI hidden-camera footage at Texas colleges?
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The three-minute video was published on YouTube on Monday by Accuracy in Media, which has secretly recorded other school and college employees across Texas. The group’s site notes that it uses “citizen activism and investigative journalism to expose media bias, corruption, and public policy failings.”
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