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High School's Beer-Brewing Class Creates Controversy

Is A Beer-Brewing Class Bad For High School?
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A homework assignment at a Colorado high school may have students excited to learn about fermenting, but has some parents fuming.

One of Ralston Valley High School's biology classes is asking their students to learn how to brew beer -- and wine, champagne, vodka and other hard alcohols -- to learn the process of alcoholic fermentation, and how different processes can create different alcohols.

The teacher reportedly also offered extra credit to students who went on a tour of the Coors Brewery, which is located within the same county as the school -- and while the brewery allows guests age 18 and over to tour without an adult, the website itself (in accordance with FTC age verification procedure) won't allow anyone under the age of 21 to enter.

But the assignment and the extra credit option has angered some parents who say the class could be giving conflicting messages to underage students.

"It just doesn't make sense for you to say to a student, 'these are the effects. This is what it can do to your body, your mind, to your life.' And then say, 'and in case you decide to not listen to our warning, let's teach you how to brew it,'" Ralston Valley parent Adrienne Maerz told 9News.

The Jefferson County School District later issued a statement saying they would be evaluating the class, that was obtained by KDVR:

The teaching of fermentation or, anaerobic respiration, is a Colorado standard taught in biology classes. Teachers make choices in designing the lesson plans which help students meet those standards. While we value the efforts our teachers make to inspire learning in our students, we will be reviewing the assignment in question.

As mom blog "The Stir" points out however, getting students excited about biology may not be such a bad thing.

Making beer (and wine, and vodka, and, and, and ...) taboo only serves to excite kids. Breaking it down via a scientific process, on the other hand, takes some of the mystique out of it. It's no longer something they can't wait to get their hands on. Suddenly it's just a bunch of sugars creating metabolic waste.

It's nothing more than a science project -- albeit a science project that drew them in and actually let them have a little fun while learning.

In the meantime students who either object to the assignment themselves or whose parents object, will be able to do an alternate, non-alcoholic assignment.

Earlier this month, another underage alcohol science experiment in Colorado made headlines when 11-year-old Michal Bodzianowski announced that he was working on an experiment for astronauts to make beer in space.

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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