EonBlue

Thanks to Pharyngula for this wonderful bit of info

The Florida Citizens for Science has posted the Nov 20 meeting of the Taylor County Florida School Board:

Upon motion by Danny Lundy, seconded by Darrell Whiddon the Board adopted/approved the: 1.) Resolution regarding the new Sunshine State Standards for Science.

The adoped resolution is as follows:
Whereas, the Florida Department of Education has drafted and is now proposing new Sunshine State Standards for Science, the Taylor County School Board opposes the implementation of the new standards as currently presented.
Whereas, the new Sunshine State Standards for Science no longer present evolution as theory but as “the fundamental concept underlying all of biology and is supported in multiple forms of scientific evidence,” we are requesting that the State Board of Education direct the Florida Department of Education to revise/edit the new Sunshine State Standards for Science so that evolution is presented as one of several theories as to how the universe was formed.

Once again, the willfully ignorant and the pious frauds show their ugly heads. What other “theories” about the universe are they talking about? Do they know what a scientific theory actually is? And these people were elected to educate the children to help take this world into the 21st century, not the 15th century! Makes one wonder if humans are mature enough to have this so-called democracy. Perhaps the law can be changed so that to be able to decide scientific matters in education, one must demonstrate a high school level understanding of science.

From Tampa Bay Online:

Yet a few weeks later, the controversy is dying with a whimper. There’s no board support for a challenge to the proposed standards. Some of the five school board members blame the local newspaper for trying to start a fight.

“It’s not our agenda,” said Tim Harris, one of the board members. “My personal opinion and how I vote don’t always jibe.”

What happened? You can start with the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

Apparently, a huge email campaign, led by the Pastafarians, has upset the apple cart. They demanded equal time for their “theory” of how life got here. After this and national attention, the Polk County School Board appears to have relaxed on their religious indoctrination campaign.

The pro-intelligent design board members say they now recognize that the new standards are a state issue and there’s nothing they can do about them, even if they’d like to.

Lofton, a former geometry teacher with a master’s degree in mathematics and one of the pro-intelligent design board members, said she has no interest in engaging with the Pastafarians or anyone else seeking to discredit intelligent design.

She describes herself as secure in her beliefs. “I’m a Christian. I personally believe that the Bible is inerrant truth and the word of God.”

How do people like Lofton manage to get elected to these boards? It’s scary.

I am hopeful that in Florida, the effort is building to make sure the new standards, which state that evolution will be taught and not pseudo-science, will survive.

There are still areas where one version of psuedo-science is being pushed. Pinellas County School Board has members which want to include Christian Creationism, but exclude other theories like Pastafarianism. Some choice quotes:

“The entire theory of evolution is not scientific fact. Intelligent design balances it out.” - Nancy Bostock, Chairperson

What a moron. This is the Chairperson? You can find more information, including contact information, here.

There are some rather unsettling events happening in Texas and Florida as of late. These events center around the educational system and what is approved to be taught to our children in public schools.

In Texas, Chris Comer, who has been the Texas Education Agency’s director of science curriculum for more than nine years, was “asked” to resign because of an email she forwarded. News Source Apparently, creationist cretins have managed to infect the Texas Education Agency, and are now exercising their power to silence their enemies.

In Florida, State Board member Donna Callaway has publicly stated that “other theories” should be taught along side evolution in the classroom. You can read more about her thoughts on the matter from an article on the Florida Baptist Weekly. But be warned, this article will at the very least give you a headache from the amount of idiocy contained within it. It could be the talking points of the Discovery Institute cut-n-pasted.

To me, the Wedge Strategy appears to be in full force, despite the monumental setback realized by the Dover decision. Frankly, I’m surprised that this issue hasn’t crept up yet here in Alabama that I’m aware of. It behooves us, the rational, to keep an ever-watchful eye on who is elected to our school boards, and their stance on the teaching of real science. These people who push to add their version of god to our public schools see this as a major milestone in the establishment of a theocracy in America. Don’t believe me? Read the Wedge Document. It’s scary.

If you live in Texas or Florida, please contact your government representatives and let them know how you feel. Real science taught be qualified, professional teachers is what our children, and our country, need desperately. Even now, America slips further behind Europe and Asia in science education, and this will have far-reaching effects in the years to come.