Former Palm Beach Atlantic University English professor Samuel Joeckel, who was fired in March after a parent complained he was “indoctrinating” students with racial justice lessons, has filed a federal complaint against the university. In a statement released Monday, Joeckel argued that his firing was racially charged, prompting him to file with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. “I am hopeful that this will not only right the wrongs that PBA committed against me, but also protect faculty members at PBA and other schools,” he said. The professor’s attorney, Gabe Roberts, said that the complaint is based on “associational discrimination,” since Joeckel is not arguing that he was fired because of his own race. “If an employment decision is motivated by a protected characteristic such as race, that is an unlawful employment practice in this country,” Roberts said in a statement. Joeckel indicated that he never expressed his own views on racial justice, and always encouraged students to make up their own mind on the topic.
