What are the laws regarding teaching creation in Public Schools?

[Mean_Mr_Mustard]

My biology teacher does not teach evolution but teaches creation. Are there laws directly against this or is it allowed?

[donco6]

1. Depends on where you are.

Laws vary from state to state. Also depends on whether your state sets the curriculum, or you are a local control state where the curriculum is set by a locally elected board of education.

[Mean_Mr_Mustard]

2. I live...

In california and i always thought with such a liberal state that they would have laws against it.

[donco6]

3. Are you in a public school, or private?

Charter school or regular public school?

[Mean_Mr_Mustard]

4. I am

In a public school.

[donco6]

5. You might want to ask your teacher when you . . .

will be covering the state standards for evolution, as listed by the California Dept. of Education:

Evolution

7. The frequency of an allele in a gene pool of a population depends on many factors and may be stable or unstable over time. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know why natural selection acts on the phenotype rather than the genotype of an organism.

b. Students know why alleles that are lethal in a homozygous individual may be carried in a heterozygote and thus maintained in a gene pool.

c. Students know new mutations are constantly being generated in a gene pool.

d. Students know variation within a species increases the likelihood that at least some members of a species will survive under changed environmental conditions.

e.* Students know the conditions for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in a population and why these conditions are not likely to appear in nature.

f.* Students know how to solve the Hardy-Weinberg equation to predict the frequency of genotypes in a population, given the frequency of phenotypes.

8. Evolution is the result of genetic changes that occur in constantly changing environments. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know how natural selection determines the differential survival of groups of organisms.

b. Students know a great diversity of species increases the chance that at least some organisms survive major changes in the environment.

c. Students know the effects of genetic drift on the diversity of organisms in a population.

d. Students know reproductive or geographic isolation affects speciation.

e. Students know how to analyze fossil evidence with regard to biological diversity, episodic speciation, and mass extinction.

f.* Students know how to use comparative embryology, DNA or protein sequence comparisons, and other independent sources of data to create a branching diagram (cladogram) that shows probable evolutionary relationships.

g.* Students know how several independent molecular clocks, calibrated against each other and combined with evidence from the fossil record, can help to estimate how long ago various groups of organisms diverged evolutionarily from one another.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

8. Yes, they are supposed to teach state standards.

You and your parents should make your school administration, superintendent, and/or school board aware that your teacher is not teaching the curriculum they were hired to teach.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

6. That is so lame.

Public school teachers should not be forcing their religion on the kids. They are supposed to be teaching science.

I would be irate if any of my teacher's tried to do this. Thankfully, no one did this sort of thing at public schools in Maine.

What state are you in?

[mr blur]

7. W.T.F.!?

A BIOLOGY teacher can do this in a public school over there? Doesn't this seem bizarre to anyone?

[immoderate]

9. I don't know the law but...

Your teacher could claim academic freedom on his side.

However, I would bet that the California curriculum (if there is a state curriculum) allows teaching evolution, if it doesn't indeed mandate it. You are certainly being short changed educationally.

I suggest that you let your parents take the point on this with principal, school board, media. Keep your head down. You don't want to be in the line of fire.

I would think that in CA, you can get help from organizations of science teachers, etc., if the school board won't satisfy you.

We, the tax payers, are paying for you to get educated, not indoctrinated.

As a former teacher, I have had this come up in class. I would acknowledge that there was creationism. And that people could believe it. But I tried to make certain that my students understood that it didn't qualify as scientific study.

Good luck. Keep us posted.

[donco6]

11. High school teachers don't have "academic freedom".

At least, not like college professors. They are required to teach the curriculum determined by the board of education. In fact, it's one of the few things they can get fired for once they're past probationary status.

[lawladyprof]

12. Unconstitutional

in a heartbeat. Courts have been clear (unlike many other areas of the law, religion clause issues). State curriculum and academic freedom are irrelevant issues. Could teach ABOUT creationism in history or social studies but not that Biblical creation is true in biology class. See www.ncseweb.org, specifically 8 Major Court Decisions against Teaching Creationism as Science (found under resources).

[donco6]

10. Repost: Calif State Curric. Standards on Evolution:

8. Evolution is the result of genetic changes that occur in constantly changing environments. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know how natural selection determines the differential survival of groups of organisms.

b. Students know a great diversity of species increases the chance that at least some organisms survive major changes in the environment.

c. Students know the effects of genetic drift on the diversity of organisms in a population.

d. Students know reproductive or geographic isolation affects speciation.

e. Students know how to analyze fossil evidence with regard to biological diversity, episodic speciation, and mass extinction.

f.* Students know how to use comparative embryology, DNA or protein sequence comparisons, and other independent sources of data to create a branching diagram (cladogram) that shows probable evolutionary relationships.

g.* Students know how several independent molecular clocks, calibrated against each other and combined with evidence from the fossil record, can help to estimate how long ago various groups of organisms diverged evolutionarily from one another.