Troy Shut Off Professor’s Email After He Contacted Lawmakers

Micah Swartz was locked out of his university email and computer until he agreed not to engage with Alabama state officials who were responding to his letter about an ongoing state curriculum review, he told Inside Higher Ed Friday.

Swartz, an assistant professor of teacher education who is in his first year on the tenure track at Troy University, sent an email in April to Alabama Superintendent Eric Mackey and several state representatives involved with the Alabama Numeracy Act Course Review Committee, which is conducting an ongoing review of math syllabi for undergraduate education students. In the letter, which was written on university letterhead, Swartz outlined his concerns about the committee’s long turnaround times and inconsistent standards. Working with the committee to develop a compliant math education curriculum has made the past year “the most challenging of my career,” Swartz wrote.

A day later, Swartz realized he had been locked out of his computer. The university’s IT manager directed him to speak to Fred Figliano, dean of the College of Education at Troy. Ten minutes into his 3:30 p.m. class, Swartz was summoned to Figliano’s office, where the dean “told me he had been fielding calls that morning from state leaders related to my letter, and said he had turned off my access to all Troy University technology … to keep me from responding to state leaders who might try to reach out to talk with me,” Swartz said.

“Basically the dean said, ‘Hey, I’m going to take care of all this. Our people are going to try to smooth over the disruption you caused, and you have to promise not to respond to any of their emails. Don’t talk to them anymore. Don’t email them anymore,’” Swartz said. He said he felt he had no choice but to agree.

A week later, at the request of his students—who wanted to know why Swartz was locked out and unable to respond to their emails that day—he posted the letter to state officials on Canvas with the title “Letter that got me in trouble.”

“My students had requested to read it because they saw me get pulled out in the middle of class,” he said.

Swartz was eventually given a written disciplinary warning reprimanding him for issuing “unauthorized communication” to state officials by using the university letterhead. He also received a second written warning for “unprofessional conduct” for sharing the letter with students. In neither case did Troy administrators cite university policy, he said. Further offenses could result in “additional disciplinary action up to and including dismissal,” according to the written warnings, which Swartz shared with Inside Higher Ed.

Swartz’s April letter wasn’t the first he’d sent to Alabama officials. He’d previously shared his research on screen time with several representatives, which prompted state Rep. Jeana Ross to draft a bill that Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law in March, limiting screen time in early childhood education and childcare facilities.

“I understand there are processes Troy has, but at the same time, there’s important work, research and things that I’m doing that I think warrants reaching out to them,” Swartz said.

In an email to Inside Higher Ed on Thursday, a Troy spokesperson declined to comment on Swartz’s situation, stating that the university “does not comment publicly on confidential personnel matters.”

“Troy respects the rights of faculty and staff to speak as private citizens on matters of public concern. Employees speaking in a personal capacity are expected to make clear that they do not represent the University and to ensure that their statements could not reasonably be perceived as an institutional endorsement,” the spokesperson wrote. “Troy remains committed to free speech and academic freedom consistent with its mission as a public university.”