The American Historical Association said in a letter it "views with alarm" a Dallas-area community college's decision against renewing the contract of a professor. History professor Michael Phillips was outspoken in his criticism of the school administration's COVID-19 policies. He claims his contract was not renewed because of that criticism.

"It is disturbing that Collin College would not renew the contract of a history professor because he asserted his rights to free speech on matters of public concern," AHA Executive Director James Grossman said in the Feb. 7 letter. "We fear that your actions will serve to intimidate other history professors who seek to teach about the history of pandemics and other controversial issues, and seek to protect the health of their students."

Phillips had recently asked his students to consider wearing masks, according to the AHA letter. AHA is a Washington, D.C.-based national professional society for historians.

Collin College said it would not comment on personnel matters, the Dallas Morning News reported.

"Given that the renewal or non-renewal of faculty contracts is a routine operational matter at the college, we are dismayed at the efforts of some individuals to present this as anything other than what it truly is," spokeswoman Marisela Cadena-Smith's said in a statement to the paper.

Phillips, who wrote the history book "White Metropolis: Race, Ethnicity, and Religion in Dallas, 1841-2001" and has taught at Collin College for more than 13 years, has said his contract will expire in May.

Three other professors have also said in the past year they were pushed out for questioning the college's coronavirus policies and other free speech issues, according to the Dallas Morning News.