Betsy

=Kansas School Board Backs Intelligent Design=



On November 8, 2005, the Kansas school board held a vote that would rock the state, the nation and the world. The vote, which divided the school board six to four, established that Intelligent Design would be presented as an alternative to evolution in the Kansas school system. (1) The decision, considered extremely controversial, drew extreme reactions from both sides. Those in support of the decision stated that they felt it encouraged free speech, academic enrichment, and scientific thought. However, opponents claimed the decision was simply an effort to replace science with religion and the result of Conservative politics. (5) One opponent, who voted against the change, stated: “This is a sad day, not only for Kansas kids, but for Kansas. We’re becoming a laughingstock, not only of the nation, but of the world.” (5) Though the board itself does not decide what is taught in the classrooms, they do choose what material will appear on standardized, state-wide tests. Therefore, in choosing to include Intelligent Design as a challenge to evolution in testing, the board was essentially implementing the theory into the classroom. (1) Additionally, the board redefined its definition of science, so as to embrace Intelligent Design. The old definition, "Science is the human activity of seeking natural explanations for what we observe in the world around us.", was altered to define science as "a systematic method of continuing investigation that uses observation, hypothesis testing, measurement, experimentation, logical argument and theory building to lead to more adequate explanations of natural phenomena." (6) The controversy went to trial on May 6th, 2006, when a series of hearings were conducted by the proponents of the change. The hearings brought forth many doctors, scientists, and professors who explained the problems facing evolutionary theory and condoned the teaching of Intelligent Design. (2) Evolutionary supporters refused to appear or testify at the hearings, boycotting the change. They insisted the trial was simply a chance for Intelligent Design backers to platform their theory, calling the trial “a farce” (3) Indeed, the hearings did seem rather biased from the start, with the jury consisting of three school board members who had already publicly announced their support of Intelligent Design. (3) Despite this, the opposition did hire Pedro Irogonegaray, a top civil rights lawyer, to argue against the change. Ironegaray questioned the scientists present on the true motives behind their responses, drawing references from religion to diminish the validity of their testimony (2) However, the new standards were never able to be fully integrated by the school system due to Kansas School Board elections in August of 2006. The elections swayed the power away from the Republican majority that had voted for Intelligent Design earlier in November. On Tuesday, August second, five of the ten seats on the school board opened up for re-election, allowing Moderates to claim a key number of three spots, restoring the majority in their favor. (4)

Sources: 1) http://www.cnn.com/2005/EDUCATION/11/08/evolution.debate.ap/ 2)http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D00EEDD1430F935A35756C0A9639C8B63 3)http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/05/06/echoes_of_scopes_trial_heard_in_intelligent_design_hearing/ 4) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14137751/ 5) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/08/AR2005110801211.html 6)http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/15/science/sciencespecial2/15evol.html?ex=1289710800&en=8222cfc9c70fd951&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

all accessed April 24, 2008 -