From: Gina Miller (nanogirl@halcyon.com)
Date: Sat Jun 12 1999 - 15:14:20 MDT
Saturday June 12 12:20 AM ET
Nebraska Education Officials Stick With Evolution
Full Coverage
Religion News
LINCOLN, Neb. (Reuters) - The Nebraska Board of Education Friday rejected an
effort to broaden the science curriculum in state schools in a way that
could have allowed classrooms to explore biblically based creation theories.
The board voted 5-3 to approve a set of new science standards that lists
evolution as the only theory of the origins of the universe that will be
presented to children.
Board member Kathy Wilmot had sought to broaden the language of the new
standards to encourage schools to cover a ``variety of theories,'' which
could include creation as well as other theories of human origins.
``Right now our standards only deal with one theory -- that is, evolution,''
Wilmot told Reuters. ``If we would have put a variety of theories in here
for students to hear about, we would have had the most comprehensive, most
effective science instruction possible.''
Writing the new science standards was fraught with controversy. Earlier this
year, the Nebraska attorney general's office complained that the standards
promoted evolution as fact rather than theory and could contradict students'
religious beliefs.
Board members reworded the standards to take account of those concerns
before approving the new version.
Nebraska's fight mirrors others that have arisen around the country with the
growth of an anti-evolution movement.
Many in the scientific community charge that the movement is driven by a
desire to promote religion in schools, but evolution opponents say evolution
is a false theory that must be dispelled.
Kansas education officials are now trying to draft new science standards and
will vote on the issue in July.
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