State (MT) education official pans Darby's origins decision (Creationism)

[Ediacara]

State education official pans Darby's origins decision
By MICHAEL MOORE of the Missoulian

The state's superintendent of public instruction said Tuesday that she is troubled by the Darby school board's approval of a new science policy called "objective origins."

"It is not science," Linda McCulloch said Tuesday in a telephone interview from Helena. "You won't find any credible group of scientists or science teachers who advocate these philosophies as science."

McCulloch said "objective origins" is little more than Christian creation science re-envisioned to try to pass constitutional muster. So far, federal courts have dismissed efforts to install creationism in school curriculums on grounds that such moves violate the establishment clause of the First Amendment.

"I think it's creationism again," said McCulloch.

The new policy was passed by the Darby school board Monday night by a 3-2 vote. The policy "encourages" science teachers to instruct their students on valid criticism of current theories, but the only theory identified is evolutionary theory, which happens to be the state standard for science instruction. The policy doesn't identify any such criticisms, nor does it outline a process to determine how such criticisms might be evaluated.

More at the Missoulian

[truthspeaker]

1. harmless, on the face of it, but their motives are obvious

Since there are no "valid criticisms" of the theory of evolution there shouldn't be a problem for teachers. But putting it in there at all implies that "valid criticisms" aren't already discussed, which is an insult to science teachers. But having studied these anti-science pinheads I know exactly where they're going with this. Once it's on the books creationist groups can challenge individual school boards one at a time, bring in Michael Behe or one of his IDiots to spin their smoke and mirrors in front of an audience not sophisticated enough to see through them, and next thing you know there are Intelligent Design textbooks being purchased by school districts.

[havocmom]

2. It's difficult enough to get teachers to come to small rural towns

what with poor pay, remote locations and lack of certain ammenities. Throw in aggressive religious fringe minorities that tend to wear down voices of logic and progress and you get a hostile climate for teaching anything beyond a narrow field of vision.

I honestly do not see how many teachers deal with the conditions. This added obsticle will sure make it fun to try to recruit teachers who do not accept Pat Robertson's vision of people as sheep.