South Dakota bill leaves evolution skepticism up to teachers

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press


James Nord and Hannah Weikel, Associated Press Updated 4:12 pm, Tuesday, February 21, 2017



PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota legislators are weighing whether to let teachers decide how much skepticism to work into lessons on contentious scientific topics such as evolution and climate change.

A House committee on Wednesday is set to consider the measure, which would give legal protection to teachers who want to discuss "in an objective scientific manner the strengths and weaknesses" of the subjects.

South Dakota is one of at least three states, along with Texas and Oklahoma, considering such a bill. Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee have enacted similar laws, according to Glenn Branch, deputy director of the California-based National Center for Science Education, which opposes the proposal.

Branch said there are concerns that such a bill would embolden some teachers to start presenting creationism in their classrooms.







Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/education/article/South-Dakota-bill-leaves-evolution-skepticism-up-10948878.php

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[center]

Sen. Jeff Monroe

[Matthew28]

1. Teaching stupidity

and religious bs is the goal of the republican party. We're going down the same path as Turkey at this very moment but with Christianity.

[guillaumeb]

2. There is a scientific consensus on evolution and climate change.

Any other discussion is motivated by politics/money or religion.

[sakabatou]

3. Ugh...

[billh58]

4. A repeat of the Scopes Monkey Trial

but this time the devolved descendants of the anti-science movement are confronting a highly evolved scientific community. They will lose even more bigly this time.

[frogmarch]

5. Nothing new there.

Our family lived in SD in the 80s when the kids were in school. The high school biology teacher told his students to staple shut all the pages in the textbook dealing with evolution. I complained to the school board, but they shrugged it off. The only consolation was knowing that the kids probably read the forbidden pages before stapling them shut. My kids didn't do any stapling. The teacher called them troublemakers for refusing to obey him, but they did well grade-wise in other classes and our daughter graduated valedictorian.

[paleotn]

6. Uggg!

We really are in Dumbfuckistan.

[Luciferous]

7. I'm in MS and my daughter's high school science teacher told the class she doesn't believe in

evolution. We've only been here for a year and are still amazed by the stupidity of many of the people that live in this area.

[Solly Mack]

8. Could colleges/universities legally reject applicants from those states?

[brooklynite]

17. Walmart needs to get greeters from somewhere...

[elmac]

9. the dumbing down of ameriKa

christain jihadists & ISIL, same, same.

[kimbutgar]

10. I can't believe we have to go back and fight this old shit!

The rethugs are real knuckle draggers. They want to take us back to the 19th century!!!!

[Blue Idaho]

11. Only one problem...

There is no objective scientific evidence for creationism or intelligent design. None whatsoever.

[BigDemVoter]

12. That is just brilliant.

Let's leave it up to each individual teacher's fucking religious beliefs. . . He/she doesn't believe in evolution because "Jayzus said so!" That means the poor kids assigned to this dumb ass won't have the benefit of learning ANYTHING.

[Tikki]

13. They need to send a letter to parents if they are going to teach religion in Science class.

So the parents and child can discuss and either opt out or opt in that class.


Tikki

[briv1016]

14. If teachers can "opt out" of teaching science,

then students/parents should be able to "opt out" of a specific teacher. When they are unable to get enough students to fill a class for a given teacher then they should be fired.

[LakeArenal]

15. Sounds like leaving it up to teachers...

Is a sure fire way of knowing which teachers they need to release. One honest teacher shares their science based view, administrators have their target....

[hunter]

16. Any biology teacher who refuses to teach evolution should be fired...

... and credit for their classes disallowed for college admissions. Sorry kids, you'll have to take remedial classes.

Ah fuck it. Maybe it's time for Trump U.S.A. to die in a putrid puddle of self-inflicted ignorance.