Next ID Battle: Lebec, CA

[Checkmite]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/01/11/evolution.debate.calif.ap/index.html

FRESNO, California (AP) -- A rural high school teaching a religion-based alternative to evolution was sued Tuesday by a group of parents who said the class should be stopped because it violates the U.S. Constitution.

Frazier Mountain High in Lebec violated the separation of church and state while attempting to legitimize the theory of "intelligent design" by introducing it as a philosophy class, according to the federal lawsuit filed by parents of 13 students. The teacher is also a minister's wife.

At first it may sound somewhat acceptable to some. After all,

Superintendent John Wight, who did not immediately return a phone call for comment, said last week that the class, "Philosophy of Design," was not being taught as science and was an opportunity for students to debate the controversial issue.

Make no mistake, though; this is a sneak-attack. It is introduced as a "philosophy class", but...

The five-member school board was divided when it learned about the class last month and discovered three guest lecturers were scheduled in support of intelligent design but none for evolution.

...

An initial course description sent to parents in December said it would examine "evolution as a theory and will discuss the scientific, biological and Biblical aspects that suggest why Darwin's philosophy is not rock solid."

...

The Washington, D.C.-based Americans United for Separation of Church and State said that with one exception the course "relies exclusively on videos that advocate religious perspectives and present religious theories as scientific ones."

Here's Americans United's article, which links to a PDF copy of the lawsuit.

 

[Darat]

Given the decision in the Dover trial - I would have thought that singling out creationists' problem with just one part of science as the Dover board did puts them on shaky grounds to start with.

 

[Grammatron]

There already a thread on this topic.