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Written by jhm
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Tuesday, 30 January 2007 |
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From New Mexico comes news of proposed "academic freedom" legislation regarding the teaching of evolution. Introduced by State Senator Steve Komadina, Senate Bill 371 and the accompanying resolution, Senate Joint Memorial 9, aims to sneak Intelligent Design and other forms of Creationism into the science classroom.
Whoever comes up with the language for these pieces of legislation is getting quite crafty, as it took a few seconds longer than usual to discover the Trojan horse language. According to SB371:
The Public Education Department shall: [...] encourage students to critically analyze scientific information, give them the right and freedom to reach their own conclusions about biological origins and provide that no student shall be penalized in any way because the student subscribes to a particular position on biological origins.
The first part is fine, if redundant of existing policy. But come to think of it, the second part of that statement is quite similar to language Free Exchange found in an Intelligent Design bill in that was killed in the Oklahoma state legislature last year:
"No student in any public school shall be penalized [...] because the student may subscribe to a particular position on scientific views pertaining to the biological or chemical origins of life." What this says is that if a student's religious views stop him or her from learning the material, they can't be penalized. Schools in Oklahoma might as well stop teaching science altogether.
In short, students could "reach their own conclusions" and write "because the Bible says so" as an answer on a New Mexico biology test, and they could not be "penalized in any way."
Let's hope the New Mexico state legislature stops Senate Bill 371 and saves science education in the process.
Tags:
academic freedom |
intelligent design |
legislation |
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