Recent events and news stories:
January 13, 2005:
Blount County School board unanimously approved a
resolution relating to the teaching of biological origins and encouraging the
teaching of Intelligent Design. Blount
County School Board minutes for January 13, 2005. The resolution is
reproduced below:
The following Resolution written by Dr. McNelly was approved by a motion from
Mr. Booty Miller and seconded by Mr. Don Talbott. All were in favor.
Motion carried.
As Members of the Blount County School Board
WE BELIEVE:
As a local public school board we have the
authority and responsibility to approve curricula.
The teachers in our school system should enjoy
academic freedom to present appropriate materials to their students
pertaining to the subject matter being covered.
Students should not be deprived of current
pertinent scientific information. The omission or denial of such information
may unfairly deprive students of the opportunity to examine the full range of
scientific theories about biological origins.
Presently our high school biology textbooks only
present the theory of Darwinian evolution and omits teaching a variety of
scientific theories about origins. By restricting content subject matter
without academic freedom, biology education becomes indoctrination.
Further, we, as members of the Blount County
School Board confirm:
1.
Teaching a variety of scientific theories about origins may be
done with the clear secular intent of enhancing the effectiveness of science
instruction.
2.
Design theory, in particular, constitutes an inference from
biological data, and is not an inference or conclusion from religious
authority.
3.
It is constitutionally lawful for teachers and school boards
to expose students to scientific problems with current Darwinian theory as
well as to other scientific alternatives with respect to theories about
biological origins.
4.
It is unconstitutional under the Free Speech Clause of the
First Amendment to exclude these ideas from a public forum simply because of
the content of these ideas.
5.
Biological origins is an open forum for free speech and as
such cannot be censored based solely on the content of the speech.
6.
With respect to biological origins and scientific alternatives
our local school board has the freedom to exercise discretion in the
selection of curriculum materials.
7.
Therefore, we hereby encourage our biology teachers to teach
the controversy with respect to biological origins. The theory of intelligent
design may be taught as part of the current controversy. We also encourage
the inclusion of intelligent origins in the State approved textbooks.
SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS
John P. Davis, Jr.
Charles Finley
Dr. Don McNelly
William
Miller
Donald
L. Talbott
Mike
Treadway
