The Science Education Act in Louisiana remains in effect, allowing creationist theory to be taught in science classes.
Opponents to the Louisiana education act that allows for creationism to be taught in public schools were met with rejection on May, 1, when the state Senate Education Committee voted 3-2 to reject the move to repeal.
The Science Education Act explicitly states that teachers may not “promote any religious doctrine,” but at the same time allows teachers to “use supplemental textbooks and other instructional materials to help students understand, analyze, critique, and review scientific theories in an objective manner” without needing prior approval from the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Opponents argue that this is an intentional loophole meant to encourage students to be skeptical of science and issues like global warming and cloning. Zack Kopplin, a student at Rice University, with the support of over 70 Nobel Prize-winning scientists, led the repeal effort on the grounds that the Science Education Act “does more than harm the potential of Louisiana’s students. It is already directly impacting the state’s economy.” He maintains that the anti-science culture that the law perpetuates stunts students’ ability to learn and has made businesses and tourists more hesitant to invest in the state.
Some supporters counter that there haven’t been any specific complaints of questionable materials being introduced into Louisiana classrooms, making a repeal redundant. Others, though, including Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, have taken an open stance supporting the law and encouraging creationism to be taught in public schools, insisting that classrooms need to be open to all viewpoints to be fully effective.
The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports that after the committee rejected the repeal, the panel voted to advance a bill that would make it easier for teachers to introduce religiously based materials into their classrooms by scaling back governmental oversight of textbooks and other school materials.
Photo: defesesfinearts/Flickr
“sucker born every second”… I’m surprised that Texas and Mississippi haven’t followed suit to Louisiana’s endorsement of this REALLY STUPID government decision. Those two states generally sit at the bottom in school scores and the top in toxic waste dumps, violent crime, murders and executions. The so-called “creation science” classroom ought to be a “no-brainer” to the no-brain community…
I guess LA felt left out. Thus their choice to distinguish themselves by making school curriculum choices even dumber than that of the Texan and Mississippi folks…
My 12 year old son and I laugh at this stuff when we see it on the internet….We live in NYC/environs, home of the Museum of Natural History….
Really funny was the science test put forth by creationists:
Question: What day did God create the dinosaurs?
Answer: The 6th day.
True or False: Dinosaurs lived at the same time as people.
Answer: True.
I posted this on Facebook…needless to say, it was a scream!
Let’s go all the way and let teachers use as much religious argument as they want. I would LOVE to be able to wield religious authority in the classroom. That would be so sweet. “You got an F on that because God hates you.” “I didn’t get your letter of recommendation mailed off in time because the Spirit was not in me.” “I won’t allow you in my classroom until you cover your face.” “Plagiarism is theft. The penalty for theft is getting your hand cut off.” If they appeal their grades, I can simply reply: “God would not send… Read more »
Come on, Louisiana politicians. Cards on the table. When your child is sick and you take your child to the doctor, are you really, honestly going to trust a doctor who believes that the universe was created in six days? You’re willing to put the life of a loved one in the hands of someone with that sort of understanding of biology. That I would like to see. I would like to see you commit to using only medical personnel who are trained as creationists, and only doctors who were educated in your state. If you don’t believe in natural… Read more »
I’d love to be in the room when the Louisiana politicians tell the oil companies that the oil in the Gulf is only 6000 years old and that the company geologists need to stop saying that it’s millions of years old. When they tell the oil companies that they can only hire “young earth” geologists to look for oil. I won’t hold my breath on that ever happening. I guarantee their stock prices would plummet…. It’s really easy to bully fifth graders and elementary school teachers. What about the big boys making billions of dollars based on these sacrilegious theories?… Read more »
What conservative Christians need to keep in mind is that when you leave the door open to creationism, then a LOT of things can walk through that door. This is one of many things that’s so absurd to me about this. The supporters of this seem to assume that Genesis, more specifically one interpretation of one version of what many people call Genesis, is the only intelligent design option out there. Seriously? Okay, if I get to teach creationism, then I’m going to go multicultural, and you Christians aren’t going to like it very much. I’m going to throw in… Read more »