Creationisme still alive and kickin'

[lanier]

Het volgende kwam ik tegen.

On October 18, 2004, the Dover Area School Board in Pennsylvania amended its science curriculum to include, "Students will be made aware of gaps/problems in Darwin's Theory and of other theories of evolution including, but not limited to, intelligent design. Note: Origins of life will not be taught." The curriculum change was spearheaded by board member and creationism advocate, William Buckingham, and approved over the objections of science teachers, school administrators, and 11 of 12 parents that testified at the board meeting. Buckingham's crusade to include alternatives to "Darwin's Theory" is seemingly the result of a request by Dover science teachers to adopt the 2002 edition of Kenneth R. Miller and Joseph Levine's "Biology: The Living Science." Buckingham, who chairs the board's curriculum committee, reportedly complained that the Miller and Levine book focused on "Darwinism" and vowed to adopt a textbook in which both evolution and creationism are presented. Citizens and other board members that expressed a concern that such a book is illegal and would result in the school district being drawn into a costly lawsuit did not dissuade Buckingham.
A number of local citizens are working to reverse the board's recent actions. Scientists and educators that live in or have friends and family in or near the Dover, PA area and wish to become involved with efforts to reverse the Board's decision should contact Nick Matzke at the National Center for Science Education (www.ncseweb.org).