In the aftermath of the decision by the Dover School Board in Pennsylvania to mandate the teaching of Intelligent Design in their science classrooms, there is quite a little fight brewing between the school board and the teachers. The York Daily Record has been following this story very closely and their latest update shows the internal battles. The science teachers are properly wondering what the heck they’re supposed to be teaching, since there really is no model or theory of intelligent design to be referred to. Quoting the head of the science department, Bertha Spahr:
Spahr said a problem could occur after the statement is read to the students. Once this topic is introduced, Miller said, she wonders how many questions will be asked as a result.
“I’m trained to teach to state standards,” Miller said. “(Intelligent design’) is currently not listed in those standards.”
Miller said she hopes it will be enough to read the statement or refer students to the “Pandas” book. But she realizes that students have the right to discuss curriculum items in class.
“This is all new and something we are not prepared for,” she said. “I worry that something I say could cause me to end up in some sort of litigation.”
Spahr said the science teachers feel like they’re in a battle that can’t be won.
“The Supreme Court has said it’s unconstitutional to teach creation in the classroom,” she said. “So we either risk violating a school board directive or risk breaking the law. What are we to do?”
Continue reading Science Teachers Balk at Dover Decision at Dispatches from the Culture Wars
3 Comments
Great White Wonder · 5 December 2004
Aaron Clausen · 5 December 2004
Well, teachers in public schools, as public employees, are pretty much required to work within the constraints of the Constitution. If the folks running Dover schools fire a teacher because that teacher refused to teach something that violates the US Constitution, me thinks that that school board is going to have a rather nasty lawsuit on its hands.
I wonder how much longer Dover is going to play chicken with this. At some point, if they're not all completely insane or outrageously stupid, they're going to have to abandon this whole teach the controversy crapola. DI isn't their friend, and seems to have ran in the other direction as fast as it can. They have no friends that count, by all appearances, and if they start firing teachers then it's going to get very bad for them very fast.
Imagine all those public funds going to fight wrongful dismissal suits. Not only won't Dover kids get taught proper science, but the ability of schools in the area to teach anything may be compromised.
When will people wake up and realize this isn't about education, but about a bunch of religiously-motivated, science-illiterate fools who don't even have the awareness to realize they've overplayed their hand.
From my perspective, Dover is one of the best things to happen in this whole debate. It has revealed ID for what it is, an empty shell that has nothing to say, and certainly nothing to teach. It's made DI look cowardly and silly. But the cost is the kids of Dover, and I suspect that their parents are sufficiently in agreement with the dummies running the school board that they'll probably blame everyone but who they should be blaming, the god-awful dunces that brought this mockery upon them.
Steve · 5 December 2004
A conservative dingbat taking leave of his job due to a painkiller addiction? I find that hard to believe.