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Dear ISEN Readers,
I know we've covered the topic of evolution several times, but this
story came to me in one of my listservs and I wondered if any of you
might be interested in it. The story began over a year ago with the
firing of Ms. Comer, the Texas director of state science curriculum, but
continues with legal wrangling. One interesting bit is the terminology
used in this case include finding the "strengths" and "weaknesses" of
evolution, non-sciencey words that sorta sound sciencey. Anyway, if
you've gotten sick of the evolution discussion don't read further, and
definitely don't click on the links below!
Thanks,
- Len
============================================
Lone Star Wars
Texas Faces A Major Battle over Evolution Instruction In The Public
Schools
By Sandhya Bathija
After teaching in Texas public schools for 10 years and serving as a
director of science curriculum for the Texas Education Agency for nearly
10 years, Chris Castillo Comer’s career as an educator took a turn she
never expected, simply with a click of her computer’s mouse.
She hit “send” on an e-mail announcing a lecture in Austin, Texas,
to be given by Barbara Forrest, a professor at Southeastern Louisiana
University and co-author of Creationism’s Trojan Horse: The Wedge of
Intelligent Design. Forrest’s 2004 book exposed the theocratic agenda
of the Discovery Institute and other creationist organizations.
Comer said she didn't know of Forrest until she received the e-mail
announcement from the National Center for Science Education.
“I did a Google search on Barbara after I received the e-mail and I
realized she had incredible credentials,” Comer said. “I thought
maybe some people may be interested in the lecture, so I forwarded the
e-mail with an FYI subject heading to colleagues living in the Austin
area.”
Soon after, Comer was called in by a high-level boss and was told she
had to immediately issue a disclaimer that stated her forwarded e-mail
did not reflect the opinion of anyone from the Texas Education Agency,
the administrative arm of the Texas State Board of Education. Comer was
then asked to resign or she would be fired.<snip>
Read the full article here:
<http://www.au.org/site/News2?abbr=cs_&page=NewsArticle&id=10156>
The story comes from "Americans United for Separation of Church and
State."
A New York Times article from 2007 about the firing of Ms. Comer:
<http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/03/us/03evolution.html?_r=1>
HOUSTON, Dec. 2, 2007 — After 27 years as a science teacher and 9
years as the Texas Education Agency’s director of science, Christine
Castillo Comer said she did not think she had to remain “neutral”
about teaching the theory of evolution.
“It’s not just a good idea; it’s the law,” said Ms. Comer,
citing the state’s science curriculum.
But now Ms. Comer, 56, of Austin, is out of a job, after forwarding an
e-mail message on a talk about evolution and creationism — “a
subject on which the agency must remain neutral,” according to a
dismissal letter last month that accused her of various instances of
“misconduct and insubordination” and of siding against
creationism and the doctrine that life is the product of “intelligent
design.” <snip>
--
Len Adams
Health Promotion Specialist
Tacoma-Pierce County Health Dept.
3629 South D Street, MS:315
Tacoma, WA 98418-6813
253 798-6129
Any word you have to hunt for in a thesaurus is the wrong word. There
are no exceptions to this rule.
- Stephen King
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