Missouri legislature considers bill called the "Missouri Science Education Act"
The Missouri legislature is considering a bill called the "Missouri Science Education Act," which would require teachers to distinguish between "verified empirical data" and theories and to "minimize dogmatism while promoting student inquiry, healthy skepticism and understanding." While the language avoids any mention of evolution or intelligent design, the bill's sponsor says, "It's a bill that wants to bring a fuller picture of evolutionary theory." Representative Wayne Cooper believes that competing theories of the origin of life demonstrate evolution's flaws as a scientific theory. Critics believe that if the bill becomes law it will intimidate teachers into disclaiming evolution's validity, sowing the seeds of scientific doubt in students' minds that is not shared by an overwhelming number of experts in the field. Rep. Cooper counters that many teachers who have doubts about evolution are currently afraid to share their doubts with students. He insists that his bill will protect those teachers from being disciplined for teaching that evolution is nothing more than a scientific theory.
Meanwhile, the South Carolina State Board of Education has rejected a state panel's proposal to revise high school standards on evolution by calling on students to "critically analyze" the theory. Although science teachers acknowledged that critical analysis is a part of all science, they complained that the wording of the proposed revision was nothing more than a backdoor attempt to force educators to teach religious-based alternatives. South Carolina Education Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum characterized the effort "'a ploy to confuse the issue of evolution so that ultimately evolution won't be taught." However, state legislator Mike Fair, who is a member of the Education Oversight Committee (EOC) that recommended the change, insists it was intended to introduce students to challenges to evolutionary theory. Although state education officials insist that rejection of the change leaves the standards adopted in 2002 in place, state legislator Bob Walker contends that the EOC and state board must agree on new standards.
St. Louis Post-DispatchBy Matt Franck
[Link to full story]New York TimesBy Associated Press
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Editor's Note: The EOC is an "independent, nonpartisan group made up of 18 educators, business people, and elected officials who have been appointed by the legislature and governor to enact the South Carolina Education Accountability Act of 1998." Information on evolution debates in other state legislatures and state boards is available on NSBA's School Law pages.]
[South Carolina EOC website][NSBA School Law pages on Utah's "origins of life" bill]