PoliticsPoliticsVideocreationism in schools

Ohio Creationism Proposal Still Up For Consideration In Springboro Schools

School District Not Dropping Creationism Proposal
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Senior Reporter, HuffPost

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After a school board meeting on Tuesday, one Ohio school district is still considering adding creationism to its curriculum, despite criticism from students, teachers and civil liberties advocates.

The addition of creationism, which would be part of a larger “controversial issues” initiative, was first introduced by the Springboro school board in May. While the proposal received support from local tea partyers, it was greeted with hostility from community members and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

Nevertheless, Springboro school board President Kelly Kohls, head of the Warren County tea party, said Tuesday that the issue would require more consideration, according to the Associated Press.

"I want to allow that discussion to happen," said Kohls. "We're going to leave it on first reading for quite a while."

According to local outlet WDTN-TV, the board meeting was filled with community members who voiced their objections to the proposal.

"It's not fair that you would teach or have a teacher give their opinion on creationism because it's such a subjective thing,” said former Springboro student Jacob Crosen in a WDTN video. “You can't give an objective viewpoint on any of them and, ultimately, I don't feel like any of the people here are prepared or educated enough to give that.”

"None of the teachers have been talked to about this," said teacher and union representative Sarah Thornberry, according to the Associated Press. "Please keep it out of the science classroom."

Some see the proposal of as an unwanted distraction from the more pressing issue of teacher contract negotiations, which are currently underway, per WDTN-TV. If a compromise isn’t reached during negotiations, teachers may go on a 10-day strike.

The ACLU penned a letter to the district last month, asking that the proposal be dropped from the board's agenda. “When public schools teach their preferred religious ideology as fact, it sends a message that the school supports one religion over all others. This threatens the religious freedom of everyone,” ACLU of Ohio staff attorney Drew Dennis said in the letter.

The board attempted to add creationism to the district’s curriculum in 2011. However, that proposal failed due to public opposition.

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Before You Go

Controversial Curriculum Changes Affecting Schools In 2012-13
Texas(01 of15)
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According to the “Educating Our Children” section of Texas Republican Party 2012 Platform, “corporal punishment is effective.” Furthermore, the document recommends teachers be given "more authority" to deal with disciplinary problems. (credit:Alamy)
Texas(02 of15)
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The proposal’s most radical position, however, opposes the teaching of "higher order thinking skills" -- a curriculum which strives to encourage critical thinking -- arguing that it might challenge "student's fixed beliefs" and undermine "parental authority." (credit:Alamy)
Louisiana(03 of15)
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One school participating in Louisiana's voucher program notes that its students "will be expected to defend creationism through evidence presented by the Bible versus traditional scientific theory." (credit:Alamy)
Louisiana(04 of15)
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According to Mother Jones, many of the Christian schools rely on A Beka Book curriculum or Bob Jones University Press textbooks to teach their students “the accumulated wisdom of the past from a biblical worldview.” Here are some examples: (credit:abeka.com)
Louisiana(05 of15)
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"Bible-believing Christians cannot accept any evolutionary interpretation. Dinosaurs and humans were definitely on the earth at the same time and may have even lived side by side within the past few thousand years." — Life Science, 3rd ed., Bob Jones University Press, 2007 (credit:Jurassic Park/Universal Pictures)
Louisiana(06 of15)
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Gay people "have no more claims to special rights than child molesters or rapists." — Teacher's Resource Guide to Current Events for Christian Schools, 1998-1999, Bob Jones University Press, 1998 (credit:Alamy)
Tennessee(07 of15)
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In April, Tennessee lawmakers added language to the state’s abstinence-only sex education curriculum that warns against “gateway sexual activity.” Although Senate Bill 3310 does not specify what constitutes "gateway sexual activity,” many have interpreted the phrase to dissuade anything that has potential to lead to sex -- including kissing, hand-holding and cuddling.The bill is a response to recent controversies over sex-ed lessons in some Tennessee school districts that mentioned alternatives to sexual intercourse."'Abstinence' means from all of these activities, and we want to promote that," said Republican state Sen. Jack Johnson, the bill's sponsor. "What we do want to communicate to the kids is that the best choice is abstinence." (credit:Alamy)
Utah(08 of15)
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In March, the Utah state Senate passed a bill that would permit schools to eliminate sex education, prohibit instruction on how to use contraception and bar discussion of homosexuality in class. Many senators spoke out in support of the bill, claiming sex education is meant for the home, not school. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert eventually vetoed the controversial bill.Spurred on by the impassioned Utah sex education debate, Republican state Sen. Stuart Reid is now sponsoring a bill that would require the state school board to develop a sex education program for parents, so that they might feel better equipped to teach their children about sex in the privacy of their own homes. (credit:Alamy)
Mississippi(09 of15)
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A 2011 Mississippi law required some sort of sex education in all school systems beginning this academic year. Local districts had the option of deciding whether to adopt an abstinence-only or an abstinence-plus policy for sex education. Abstinence-plus teaches safe-sex practices, contraception and causes and effects of sexually transmitted diseases in addition to abstinence.More than 80 of the state's 151 districts opted for abstinence-only curriculums, while three chose to adopt split policies, teaching abstinence-only to younger students and abstinence-plus to older grades. Students must receive parental permission to take the courses and boys and girls take the classes separately. (credit:Alamy)
Arizona(10 of15)
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In April, Arizona Republican Gov. Jan Brewer signed legislation requiring the state Board of Education to design a high school elective course for public and charter school students titled "The Bible and its influence on Western Culture," which would include lessons on the history, literature and influence of the Old and New testaments on laws, government and culture, among other aspects of society. (credit:Alamy)
Virginia(11 of15)
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A measure passed in recent years required Virginia’s Board of Education to design course materials in line with the National Rifle Association's Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program guidelines to teach elementary students about gun safety. The curriculum includes lessons ranging from distinguishing those who use guns professionally to recognizing and catching firearms on school property. Individual districts had the option of deciding whether to adopt the curriculum. (credit:Alamy)
California(12 of15)
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In July 2011, Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill making California the first state to require public schools to teach lessons on historical and current contributions of gays and lesbians. According to USA Today, the new law mandates the California Board of Education and local school districts adopt textbooks and other teaching materials that include the contributions of sexual minorities as soon as the 2013-14 school year.The legislation does not specify a grade level for instruction to begin, and leaves implementation up to local school boards. (credit:Getty)
New York(13 of15)
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Around the same time that California’s landmark bill was signed, summer school teachers in New York City began teaching about same-sex marriage in civics classes. According to the New York Post, city education officials are looking to follow in California's footsteps and formally include it into city schools' curriculum, though a timeline is yet to be determined. (credit:AP)
Indiana(14 of15)
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In July 2011, Indiana school officials announced that students would no longer be required to learn cursive writing, effective Fall 2011. (credit:Alamy)
Hawaii / North Carolina(15 of15)
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Following Indiana, Hawaii dropped cursive writing from its mandatory school curriculum. Going into the 2011-12 school year, the state adopted the national Common Core State Standards, a set of education standards that omits cursive but includes keyboard proficiency. Now, principals decide whether their schools teach cursive. Pitt County Schools in North Carolina recently followed suit, no longer requiring its students to learn cursive writing. According to Assistant Superintendent Cheryl Olmstead, a team of educators is working to figure out where to fit cursive writing into the curriculum so that students will have a recognizable signature. She says the district hopes to have a plan in place next year. (credit:Alamy)
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