The creationist/ID movement recently took a body blow in the Dover case (Kitzmiller vs. Dover Area School District, Judge John E. Jones, presiding; must-read pdf of the opinion available
here). However, history tells that the opinion in Dover will merely deter efforts to impose a corrosive theocracy through use of our public school systems. A measure that will be introduced in the Wisconsin state legislature stakes a claim to ensure that faith-based science education will gain no purchase in our schools, but does so in language that does not proscribe valid and valuable instruction in the realms of religion and philosophy.
More on the flip...
On the morning of Tuesday, Feb. 7, the following bill will be proposed to the Wisconsin legislature by Rep. Terese Berceau:
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
SECTION 1. 118.018 of the statutes is created to read:
118.018 Science instruction. The school board shall ensure that any material presented as science within the school curriculum complies with all of the following:
(1) The material is testable as a scientific hypothesis and describes only natural processes.
(2) The material is consistent with any description or definition of science adopted by the National Academy of Sciences.
That's it: A preamble and two short qualifying definitions, with no motive other than to assure that Wisconsin students who enroll in science classes actually receive science education.
The bill was drafted with the benefit of input from U Wisc professors in science and philosophy who care deeply about the integrity of the scientific process and of science education in our schools. It's important to note that the language of the bill does not ban the teaching of ID or any other topic that may be covered in a non-science context. The language also precludes any challenge that the measure targets a particular ideology (like ID), an important consideration given that the anti-evolutionists have a habit of evolving ways to recycle discredited dogma that simply reappear under a different name.
Even if adopted, the bill may not be sufficient to stop efforts by ID/creationist adherents to corrupt the instructor-led development of rational thought processes among K-12 students, but at least it raises the bar a bit higher.
I hope that any Dkos readers who take note of this bill will support it and advocate adoption of similar measures of inoculation among your local school boards and state legislatures. I'll keep you posted as to the progress and fate of this proactive initiative.
