Kern County school agrees to stop teaching 'intelligent design' (CA)

[struggle4progress]

By Juliana Barbassa
ASSOCIATED PRESS

5:19 p.m. January 17, 2006

FRESNO – A rural school district agreed to stop teaching a religion-based alternative to evolution Tuesday as part of a federal court settlement barring the school from ever teaching the subject of "intelligent design."

A group of parents had sued the El Tejon Unified School District last week, accusing it of violating the constitutional separation of church and state with "Philosophy of Design," a high school course taught by a minister's wife that advanced the notion that life is so complex it must have been created by some kind of higher power.

The district agreed to halt the course at Frazier Mountain High next week and said it would never again offer a "course that promotes or endorses creationism, creation science or intelligent design."

"This sends a strong signal to school districts across the country that they cannot promote creationism or intelligent design as an alternative to evolution whether they do so in a science class or a humanities class," said Ayesha N. Khan, legal director for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which filed the suit on behalf of 11 parents ...

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20060117-1719-ca-evolutiondebate.html

[pinniped]

1. I fail to see why a class is needed just to state their stupid statement:

--life is so complex it must have been created by some kind of higher power.--

WTF more can one say about it?

[Demeter]

2. Maybe They Scientifically Estimate How Many Angels Can Dance

on their pinheads?

[moose65]

5. I agree!

I mean, what else is there to say? If a higher power created and is responsible for everything in nature, how can they stretch that out for an entire course? They have no evidence, no case studies, no findings! Do they just repeat the mantra over and over again for an entire semester?

[maddezmom]

3. kick

[Judi Lynn]

4. Calif. School Scraps 'Intelligent Design'

Calif. School Scraps 'Intelligent Design'

California School District Agrees to Stop Teaching 'Intelligent Design' Course

FRESNO, Calif. Jan 17, 2006 — Under legal pressure, a rural school district agreed Tuesday to stop offering high school students an elective philosophy course on "intelligent design," an advocacy group said.

A group of parents had sued the El Tejon school district in federal court last week, saying it violated the constitutional separation of church and state by offering "Philosophy of Design," a course taught by a minister's wife that advanced the notion that life is so complex it must have been created by some kind of higher intelligence.

Ayesha N. Khan, legal director for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which represented the parents, said Frazier Mountain High agreed to drop the class.

"This sends a strong signal to school districts across the country that they cannot promote creationism or intelligent design as an alternative to evolution, whether they do so in a science class or a humanities class," Khan said.
(snip/...)

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1514376

[Le Taz Hot]

6. Well, whaddya know . . .

a group of "hayseeds" fights off the fundies and wins. I guess that shoots to shit the assumption that all rural dwellers are ignorant, fundie rednecks.

LTH
Fresno, CA