National Center for Science Education: Antievolution legislation in Louisiana

[Swamp Rat]

Antievolution legislation in Louisiana

Senate Bill 561, styled the "Louisiana Academic Freedom Act," was prefiled in the Louisiana Senate by state senator Ben Nevers (D-District 12) on March 21, 2008, and provisionally assigned to the Senate Education Committee, of which Nevers is the chair. In name, the bill is similar to the so-called academic freedom bills in Florida, House Bill 1483 and Senate Bill 2692, which are evidently based on a string of similar bills in Alabama as well as on a model bill that the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture, the institutional home of "intelligent design" creationism, recently began to promote. But in its content, Louisiana's SB 561 seems to be modeled instead on a controversial policy adopted by a local school board in 2006.

Adopted in 2006 with the backing of the Louisiana Family Forum, a religious right group with a long history of promoting creationism and attacking evolution education in the state, the Ouachita Parish School Board's policy permits teachers to help students to understand "the scientific strengths and weaknesses of existing scientific theories pertinent to the course being taught"; "biological evolution, the chemical origins of life, global warming and human cloning" are the only topics specifically mentioned. A local paper editorially described it as "a policy that is so clear that one School Board member voted affirmatively while adding, 'but I don't know what I'm voting on'" (Monroe News-Star, December 3, 2006).

The controversy over the policy was renewed in September 2007, when Senator David Vitter (R-Louisiana) sought to earmark $100,000 of federal funds to the Louisiana Family Forum. The New Orleans Times-Picayune (September 22, 2007) reported that the money was intended to "pay for a report suggesting 'improvements' in science education in Louisiana, the development and distribution of educational materials and an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Ouachita Parish School Board's 2006 policy that opened the door to biblically inspired teachings in science classes." Thanks to pressure from NCSE and its allies, Vitter withdrew his proposal in the following month.

Now SB 561 echoes the central language of the Ouachita Parish School Board's policy. Contending that "the teaching of some scientific subjects, such as biological evolution, the chemical origins of life, global warming, and human cloning, can cause controversy, and that some teachers may be unsure of the expectations concerning how they should present information on such subjects," the bill extends permission to Louisiana's teachers to "help students understand, analyze, critique, and review in an objective manner the scientific strengths and scientific weaknesses of existing scientific theories pertinent to the course being taught."

Unlike the policy, the bill contains directives aimed at state and local education administrators, who are instructed to "endeavor to create an environment within public elementary and secondary schools that encourages students to explore scientific questions, learn about scientific evidence, to help students develop critical thinking skills, and respond appropriately and respectfully to differences of opinion about controversial issues" and to "endeavor to assist teachers to find more effective ways to present the science curriculum where it addresses scientific controversies." Administrators are also instructed not to "censor or suppress in any way any writing, document, record, or other content of any material which references" the listed topics.

Attempting to immunize itself against a likely challenge to its constitutionality, the bill also claims to protect only "the teaching of scientific information," adding that it "shall not be construed to promote any religious doctrine, promote discrimination for or against a particular set of religious beliefs, or promote discrimination for or against religion or non-religion." The involvement of the Louisiana Family Forum -- which seeks to "persuasively present biblical principles in the centers of influence on issues affecting the family through research, communication and networking" -- is, however, no doubt going to provoke a careful scrutiny of the intent of the bill's backers. The upcoming legislative session begins on March 31, 2008.

March 24, 2008

http://www.ncseweb.org/resources/news/2008/LA/109_antievolution_legislation_in_l_3_24_2008.asp

[AnnInLa]

1. Dem Senator Denies bill promotes creationism

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/17179166.html

The chairman of the Senate education committee is sponsoring a bill to revamp the way science is taught in public schools, including views that challenge biological evolution.

Sen. Ben Nevers, D-Bogalusa and sponsor of the bill, said Monday that it would be unfair to label his bill as one that would pave the way for the teaching of creationism — the view that life began about 6,000 years ago in a process described in the Bible’s Book of Genesis.

“I believe that students should be exposed to both sides of scientific data and allow them to make their own decisions,” Nevers said Monday.

Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, disagreed.

“This is all about God in biology class,” Lynn said in a telephone interview from his office in Washington, D.C.

Nevers’ bill is called the “Louisiana Academic Freedom Act.”

It says that:

* Educational authorities in Louisiana should “assist teachers to find more effective ways to present the science curriculum where it addresses scientific controversies.”
* Biological evolution, global warming and other topics “can cause controversy” in public school classrooms and may confuse teachers on how they should be taught.
* Teachers and others should encourage students to tackle different views on such topics, including scientific strengths and weaknesses of each theory.

Professors of anthropology and others have told state officials in the past that biological evolution is widely accepted and that any attempt to downplay it would make the state look silly.

Critics have argued that high school biology textbooks are riddled with errors, tell a one-sided story of creation and that students should be exposed to what they call holes in the theory of evolution.

Nevers said his bill should not be considered a creationism measure because it would pave the way for theories that also challenge opinions on global warming, human cloning and other topics.

“I think the bill perfectly explains that it deals with any scientific subject matter which is taught in our public school system,” he said. The bill says it should not be construed to promote any religious doctrine.

Nevers said he was asked to sponsor the bill by the Louisiana Family Forum, which describes itself as a group that promotes traditional family values.

Gene Mills, executive director of the group, said a bill is needed that makes it easier for teachers to delve into criticism of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.

[matt007]

2. It is being fought

My former Philosphy professor is taking this on. Smart lady. She wrote a book called Creationism's Trojan Horse: The Wedge of Intelligent Design. Its a good read. Dr. Forrest co authored it with a Biology professor by the name of Gross.