Lesson will be brief, attorney says - York Daily Record

Lesson will be brief, attorney says - York Daily Record

The attorney for the Dover Area School District said no one will be teaching intelligent design.

But lawyers for the 11 parents suing the district said they still like to get that on the record from the people who fought to get the concept in the science curriculum."

The entire statement on the subject of intelligent design in next semester's ninth-grade biology class will take about a minute, said Richard Thompson, president of the Thomas More Law Center, which is representing the district.

And because intelligent design "the concept that life is too complex to have evolved through natural selection, and therefore must have been created by an intelligent designer" is only "mentioned," Thompson said; it's not being 'taught.'

This, of course is nonsense, mentioning a theory that implies that Evolutionary Theory is in error is false teaching. Enquiring minds will want to look at it and, perhaps, be taken down overgrown and confuded paths that yield no understanding of science. Given the allegations that evolution in class represents just one 45min session in teh whole year, I would argue theer is no room to consider non -scientific explanations for the phenomena being discussed.

A news release issued last month by Dover's administration states that intelligent design will not be taught. Instead, teachers are to read a prepared statement and note that students can read "Of Pandas and People," a book about the concept.

The news release goes on to state that Nilsen "has directed that no teacher will teach Intelligent Design, Creationism, or present his or her, or the Board's, religious beliefs."

In the meantime, teachers also say they're still not sure how they're supposed to comply with the board's decision. Bertha Spahr, who heads the district's science department, said last month that 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.

Here you have the concern of the teachers as to the efficasy of even mentioning such material. If "The Theory Of Evolution" is just a theory like any other and not an excellent representation of the development of species on this planet, then teh School Board should be establishing the bona fide position of ID in the world of science, not the school board or the law courts. The plaintiff is simply trying to prevent establishing a precedent in the schools their children go to