• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Kansas State University Professors Uncertain What Effect Ruling in Pennsylvania Will Have on Science Standards in Kansas

Posted on: Friday, 23 December 2005, 15:00 CST

MANHATTAN, Kan., Dec. 23 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The jury is still out regarding what effect a decision handed down Tuesday by a federal court judge in Pennsylvania will have on science standards in the state of Kansas.

But one thing is certain from the ruling, according to two Kansas State University professors: You can disagree with science but you can't impose your religious beliefs in science classes.

In one of the biggest courtroom clashes over evolution in 80 years, U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III declared unconstitutional a school board's decision to teach intelligent design in science classes in the Dover, Pa., public school district. The case, the first court test of intelligent design, was the latest in a series of challenges to evolution that go back to the 1925 Scopes trial, when a Tennessee high school science teacher was convicted of teaching Darwin's theory that humans and apes evolved from a common ancestor.

Bharat Ratra, a K-State physics professor, and John Staver, a professor of science education and director of the Center for Science Education at K-State, say it is possible the ruling could have a significant effect on the continuing battle over science standards developed by the Kansas State Board of Education. The standards do not specifically mention intelligent design by name, but do allow for criticism of evolution.

"It is a very powerful statement because the judge ruled that a school board cannot require that a religious idea -- intelligent design -- be taught in science class," Ratra said. "Some members of the Kansas Board of Education who attack evolution have said they base this attack on their religious beliefs. This is unfortunate since it harms the education of Kansas kids. Science education should be done in an objective fashion and not be used as an instrument to instill certain religious beliefs in kids."

While Staver said the Supreme Court would be the final arbiter in any decision, he said the situation is much more cloudy in Kansas because the new proposed standards are vague and do not mention creationism but instead focus on teaching criticism of evolution.

"The case in Pennsylvania was clear in what the school board's intent was," Staver said. "In Kansas it is not clear at all in that sense."

http://www.usnewswire.com

Source: U.S. Newswire

More News in this Category