Seeking to be heard

Turns out that not being on the agenda doesn't work in the public's favor at State Board of Education meetings.

Four Jacksonville-area moms drove down to Tampa for today's session, intending to talk to the board about the proposed science standards that include evolution as a "big idea." They wanted to complain about the process for collecting input, noting that their area public hearing was poorly advertised and then canceled. What's more, St. Johns County mom Kim Kendall (left) said, the state web site for receiving comments is "very difficult to maneuver around."

But the board had not advertised that it would receive public comment during its session, so chairman T. Willard Fair told Kendall and the others right before lunch that they wouldn't have the chance to talk. Commissioner Eric J. Smith had called Kendall the night before to tell her the same thing.

Kendall, whose message is that evolution shouldn't be taught to the exclusion of other ideas, told the Gradebook she was disappointed with the State Board's approach on this subject: "It appears to me they don't want public input."

The moms didn't walk away completely empty handed, though.

The Gradebook caught up with board member Linda Taylor, who had so far been silent on the topic of the standards, and found her generally supportive of the "choices" philosophy, so long as it falls within what the state can do legally.

"With the evolution, there's a bigger topic called theories of origin. I think kids should have the opportunity to compare different theories," Taylor (left) said. "If we are focused on evolution I am OK with that. But they should at least know there are other theories out there and that they could themselves compare them or that they be presented to them."

She continued: "I would support teaching evolution, but with all its warts. I think that some of the facts have been questioned by evolutionists themselves. I would want them taught as theories. That's important. They could be challenged by others and the kids could then be taught critical thinking and they can make their own choices."

Comments

[Ben Abbott]

In science theories are testable explanations that explain the known facts. Theories are a consistent message that explain facts. Thus, theories are more important than the facts, in that they offer an understanding for how the facts came to be.

ID, and its parent creationism, are not science. They are not testable explanations, and are motivated/based-upon religious claims.

[Tom]

Wow... Some moms drove down from Jacksonville to tell the DOE that we need to force kids in Florida to adopt their viewpoints... Whooop de do...

Yes, let's let some religious advocates spit on science and force the state to take the ID/Creationist story through the courts. These moms in a minivan from Jacksonville apparently have the right to instigate a lawsuit that will cost Florida millions - MILLIONS of taxpayer dollars that could be better spent - to prepare a case that will be thrown out on its behind.

Members of the DOE - FOCUS, please. HS grad rates are piss poor, vocational ed has been all but stripped out of our schools and our kids are graduating with a huge handicap. PLEASE focus on what is really important and ignore these religious protests...

[tampabayscienceteacher]

First Donna Callaway and now..Linda Taylor...another non science major deciding on science standards...Let's just bring in the Pope while we are at it...Why stop at the BLATANTLY UNQUALIFIED DOE members...bring in the moms too... who have not one iota of knowledge on the science of biology in their educational background.

If they want to teach ID and creationism to their kids...then they can do that with HOMESCHOOLING..This type of educational choice is allowed in Florida...Just stop telling the true science people what is and is not science in a public school classroom! Enough is enough of the SCIENTIFICALLY IGNORANT!

[JLO]

Linda Taylor, ignorant and dishonest.

"With the evolution, there's a bigger topic called theories of origin."

Wrong and ignorant.

The theories of evolution do not even attempt to answer any questions of the origin of life.

The theories of evolution only attempt to answer questions about the diversity of life.

"I think kids should have the opportunity to compare different theories."

Dishonest. They already do. Ever hear of church? Sunday school? Religious activities? Your home?

"I would support teaching evolution, but with all its warts. I think that some of the facts have been questioned by evolutionists themselves."

Dishonest. That's exactly how all scientific theories are taught in science classes - warts and all.

"They could be challenged by others and the kids could then be taught critical thinking and they can make their own choices."

Both ignorant and dishonest. Science classes always teach children critical thinking skills, but any scientific debate should be done in scientific forums. ID proponents do not wish to enter the scientific forums. They prefer going for young minds without going through the scientific inquiry that she herself says the kids need.

ID proponents have not made a single hypothesis, done a single experiment, or published any data that supports their ideas as science. They skipped that part and now say lies like, "let the kids make their own choices."

Why not just throw out the proposed science standards altogether? We could let Rubio develop the very "Third World Standards" of public education that the Florida Board of Education seems to have as one of its four priorities for education policy this year. They are a huge joke.