MD Wisconsin School OKs Creationism Teaching

From: MarshaV (marshalz@i-2000.com)
Date: Mon Nov 08 2004 - 22:45:03 GMT

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    Here's what Christianity is doing! What say you Christians?

    MarshaV

              
    Published on Saturday, November 6, 2004 by the Associated Press

    Wisconsin School OKs Creationism Teaching
              

    GRANTSBURG, Wis. - The city's school board has revised its science
    curriculum to allow the teaching of creationism, prompting an outcry from
    more than 300 educators who urged that the decision be reversed.

    School board members believed that a state law governing the teaching of
    evolution was too restrictive. The science curriculum "should not be
    totally inclusive of just one scientific theory," said Joni Burgin,
    superintendent of the district of 1,000 students in northwest Wisconsin.

    Last month, when the board examined its science curriculum, language was
    added calling for "various models/theories" of origin to be incorporated.

    The decision provoked more than 300 biology and religious studies faculty
    members to write a letter last week urging the Grantsburg board to reverse
    the policy. It follows a letter sent previously by 43 deans at Wisconsin
    public universities.

    "Insisting that teachers teach alternative theories of origin in biology
    classes takes time away from real learning, confuses some students and is a
    misuse of limited class time and public funds," said Don Waller, a botanist
    at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

    Wisconsin law mandates that evolution be taught, but school districts are
    free to create their own curricular standards, said Joe Donovan, a
    spokesman for the state Department of Public Instruction.

    There have been scattered efforts around the nation for other school boards
    to adopt similar measures. Last month the Dover Area School Board in
    Pennsylvania voted to require the teaching of alternative theories to
    evolution, including "intelligent design" — the idea that life is too
    complex to have developed without a creator.

    The state education board in Kansas was heavily criticized in 1999 when it
    deleted most references to evolution. The decision was reversed in 2001.

    In March, the Ohio Board of Education narrowly approved a lesson plan that
    some critics contended opens the door to teaching creationism.

    © Copyright 2004 Associated Press

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