These idiots never give up. How long before the courts will find this
unconstitutional:
---
Intelligent design voted in
As now written, Dover Area science curriculum will require the theory to
be taught, said a biology teacher.
By JOSEPH MALDONADO
For the Daily Record/Sunday News
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
The Dover Area School Board voted to add Intelligent Design Theory to
the districts biology curriculum Monday evening just two weeks after
Supt. Richard Nilsen assured former board member Lonnie Langione that
wouldnt happen.
The change passed by a six-to-three margin after a heated discussion by
the board and a dozen members of the community.
During the Oct. 4 board meeting, Langione asked Nilsen if teachers would
be required to teach intelligent design, after he allowed 50 copies of
the book Of Pandas and People, published by the Foundation for Thought
and Ethics, to be used in science classrooms as reference books.
No, replied Nilsen at the time. A teacher can, but is not required.
But during Mondays meeting, district biology teacher Jen Miller said the
new curriculum wording implies that she will be required to teach
intelligent design.
The new wording in the curriculum states: Students will be made aware of
gaps/problems in Darwins Theory and of other theories of evolution
including, but not limited to, intelligent design. Note: Origins of life
will not be taught.
For more than an hour, outgoing board member Noel Wenrich tried to amend
the wording in an effort to remove the words, intelligent design. But
through each of his four attempts, his motions failed.
Voting to approve the final version were William Buckingham, Alan
Bonsell, Sheila Harkins, Heather Geesey, Jane Cleaver and Angie
Yingling. Voting against it were Wenrich, Carol Brown and Jeff Brown.
At the end of the meeting, a tearful Carol Brown read a statement before
resigning from the board. She said that on more than one occasion she
had been asked if she were, born again, referring to the Christian term
for salvation.
No one has nor should have the right to ask that of a fellow board
member, she read. An individuals religious beliefs should have no impact
on his or her ability to serve as a school board director.
Eleven members of the community spoke before the vote with only one,
Eric Riddle, encouraging the board to include intelligent design in the
curriculum.
It may cost us a little money to do whats right, Riddle said, referring
to potential lawsuits that may ensue. But maybe someday, I can feel good
about putting my kids in this district.
Riddle currently homeschools his children.
Lawsuits were a fear of just about everyone speaking against the
curriculum change. Buckingham said if a lawsuit were brought against the
district, a firm would provide free representation for the district. But
for the second meeting in a row, he did not mention the firm.
The district solicitor was not at the meeting.
Carol Brown said that just because a firm mentioned by Buckingham might
be willing to represent the board, doesnt mean they would represent
faculty members. She said if faculty asked, they would be entitled to
representation from the district solicitor, Stock and Leader.
If they requested Stock and Leader, they (the faculty) should be fired,
said board member Heather Geesey. They agreed to the book and the
changes in curriculum.
But Miller and science department head Bertha Spahr said Geeseys
statement wasnt true. Spahr said the faculty only agreed to the Pandas
book as a compromise to address Buckinghams concern that students have
alternate materials to study in addition to their regular text.
Spahr also said that not only did her department not approve the new
wording, they were not invited to help write it.
We didnt know you were going to do this, she said.
The administration said it too did not support the change as it was
written. The board recommended something very similar that did not
include any reference to intelligent design.
After the meeting ended, Wenrich, who in addition to Jane Cleaver, also
resigned two weeks ago but for personal reasons, had a short shouting
match with Buckingham who had challenged peoples literacy, knowledge of
American history and patriotism throughout the night.
During my resignation speech, I said we needed to disagree without being
nasty, he said. But nasty is what we got.
---
http://ydr.com/story/main/45864/
--
John Hachmann aa #1782
-The ability to change one's mind, ideas, and opinions when confronted with
new facts is the sign of the rational and intelligent. The inability to do
so is the hallmark of the dimwitted and the fanatic. This applies not only
to science and philosophy, but also to politics.-
.
|
