Features:  

The New Creationist Assault on Science Education

These pages are organized by National (USA) and state-level information. The focus is on real-life activism and civics, not online debates and "forums". To paraphrase a more enlightened member of the Kansas Board of Education... Don't waste your time trying to convince creationists, get out and vote so that this won't happen in your state.

National (USA)

Alabama,  Arizona,  Idaho,  Illinois,  Kansas,  Kentucky,  Michigan,  New Mexico,  New York,  Ohio, Oklahoma,  Washington,   West Virginia

Some internet Resources

News & Media Coverage

• 5/11/00 : Evolution Opponents Hold Congressional Briefing (5-11-00) - "IN A NUTSHELL: Supporters of intelligent design theory brought their message to Capitol Hill in a series of events for Members of Congress and their staff.... "
  • CREATIONISTS HIT CAPITOL HILL FOR CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING
  • How to contact memebers of congress
• 5/3/00: Bill on evolution returns (Ohio) - "Public school teachers would be required to teach the pros and cons of evolution under legislation introduced Tuesday in the Ohio House." (Ohio General Assembly. House Bill 679) "Mr. Hood's bill (HB 679) is only a paragraph long but would require teachers to use evidence both “supporting or consistent” with the theory of evolution, as well as evidence “not supporting or inconsistent.”
  • Laws Acts and Legislation : H. B. No. 679
• 4/12/00 : The OU Faculty Senate publicly stated on Monday its opposition to the proposed statements in public school textbooks regarding evolution and religion. (OK)
• 4/9/00 : Lawmaker confident of support: Reese expects to put God in science textbooks and lower the divorce rate. (OK)
• 4/8/00 : OKLAHOMA HOUSE BILL CALLS FOR REMINDER THAT GOD CREATED UNIVERSE,  GOVERNOR MAY PACK TEXTBOOK PANEL
• 4/6/00 : Oklahoma Poll: Poll shows even split in Oklahoma on the issues
• 4/6/00: All science textbooks adopted by the State Textbook Committee would contain "acknowledgment that human life was created by one God of the universe" under legislation passed unanimously by the House of Representatives. (OK)
• Daugherty v. Vanguard - "The ACLU of Michigan has filed a lawsuit against National Heritage Academies and Vanguard Charter Academy for violations of the Establishment Clause. Following are links to documents and news stories related to the case."
• March 2000 : People for the American Way > CREATIONISM: Resources & Information
  • 3/10/00 : Public Wants Evolution, Not Creationism, in Science Class, New National Poll Shows - Public sees no contradiction between God and Darwin, Says creationist ideas can be taught about, but not as science
  • 2/2000 : POLL: Evolution and Creationism In Public Education: An In-depth Reading Of Public Opinion (PDF format - 428 Kb)
  • 2/2000 : One-Page Summary Charts from Creationism Poll: Segmenting the Public: Teaching About the Origins of Mankind (PDF format - 35 Kb) / Question: Agree or disagree: A person can believe in Evolution and still believe God created humans and guided their development? (PDF format - 35 Kb)
  • 11/1999 : REPORT: Sabotaging Science: Creationist Strategy in the 1990s (PDF format - 123 Kb)
• 3/8/00: STATE CUTS CONTRACT WITH MILITARY SCHOOL (Ohio)
• 3/8/00 : CNN.com - Evolution-creation debate grows louder with Kansas controversy (USA)
• 3/8/00 : State Capitals Stirred By Evolution (washingtonpost.com) (USA)
• 03/07/00: BOARD FACES NEW DEBATE ON STANDARDS (Ohio)
• 02/28/00 : Sad commentary on education (OK) "the Oklahoma Textbook Committee is back in the saddle again, throwing out science textbooks that do not present the watered-down, tentative version of evolution that they endorse."
• 02/23/00 : Keating's `Learnpower' doesn't make the grade (OK)
• 02/22/00 : Textbook tempest: Issue far from over (OK)
• 02/19/00 : Five science books rejected (OK)  The battle lines are drawn on evolution before 11 other books are approved.
• 02/18/00 : Science book war hits Capitol (OK) The man who introduced the evolution disclaimer says he was looking for a compromise
• 02/2000 : Dear Friends in New York - a letter from Jeff Seaver of Grand Rapids, MI
• 02/18/00 : Charter School to Raise Topic Of Creationism (NY) By EDWARD WYATT, NY Times - "A publicly financed charter school scheduled to open in Rochester, NY next fall intends to teach students about creationism as a scientifically based theory competing with the theory of evolution.."
• 02/16/00 : State bill would force schools to teach evolution alternatives (AZ) - House Bill 2585 "requires teachers who instruct on the theory of evolution concerning the origins of human beings and other living organisms to present evidence that supports and evidence that does not support the theory of evolution."
• 2/15/00 :  Kempthorne: Limit testing funds - Legislators review budget request for exiting standards (ID) - "As predicted on one of Idaho's public radio stations in January, Governor Dirk Kempthorne is proposing to not have any statewide standards for science. As can be seen in the following article from today's (15 February) Idaho Statesman, the creationists are jumping with joy." 
• Ohio: Columbus Dispatch articles and editorials (posted by The Young Earth Creation Club)
• 02/15/00 : Ohio: PUBLIC COMMENT SOUGHT ON PLAN FOR TEACHING OF EVOLUTION - "Public comment will be taken March 7 on a proposal to revise high-school guidelines for the teaching of evolution." Public comment? Just another example of how evolutionary biology is singled out and paraded. When was the last time a board of education requested public comment on teaching about gravity, or the theory of flight?
• 02/14/00 : Ohio: PANEL TO REVIEW TEACHING PROPOSAL THE OHIO BOARD OF EDUCATION MAY CHANGE THE WAY STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT EVOLUTION. - "New state guidelines for the teaching of evolution come before a committee of the Ohio Board of Education today, with religious opponents this time on the defensive."
• 2/2000 : HB 2585 Passed in Federal Mandates and States Rights Committee... Next Stop, Rules Committee
• 02/09/00 : ARIZONA ACTION ALERT: URGENT: ACT NOW TO PROTECT THE TEACHING OF EVOLUTION! DEFEND SCIENCE AND STOP RELIGION FROM INVADING OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS!...what you can do!
• 2/8/00 : RELIGION IN SCHOOLS BILLS FLOOD STATE LEGISLATURES FROM COMMANDMENTS DISPLAY TO PRAYER AND CREATIONISM SEPARATION IS UNDER ATTACK...
• 02/06/00 : Ken Neal: More embarrassment (OK)
• 02/05/00 : One committee member thinks the attorney general erred (OK), Tulsa World
• 02/04/00 : Panel's evolution disclaimer illegal (OK), Tulsa World
• 02/03/00 : Vote to disclaim negated: State's AG says book committee lacks authority (OK), Tulsa World
• 02/03/00 : CNN - Oklahoma throws out textbook evolution disclaimer - February 3 2000
• 01/26/00 : Boomlet in Charter Schools to Begin in September as New York Approves 13
• 01/20/00 : Tucson Weekly The Skinny : MONKEY BUSINESS (AZ)
• 01/13/00 : Doom forecast for creationism bill (AZ)
• 01/10/00 : Ohio: LANGUAGE IN STANDARDS MIGHT CHANGE TEACHING OF EVOLUTION - "An Ohio Board of Education advisory panel voted last month to strengthen state guidelines on what to teach high-school students about the theory of evolution. The entire board is expected to take up that proposal in February."
• 01/09/00 : Ken Neal: Evolution?
• 12/23/99 : JESUS IN CHARGE: WHOSE ELECTION IS IT ANYWAY - Candidates Rush To Affirm Their Religiosity, Use Faith As 2000 Election Issue
• 12/18/99 : WEST VIRGINIA BOARD REJECTS CREATIONISM PROPOSAL
• 12/17/99 : WEST VIRGINIA SCHOOL DISTRICT REJECTS CREATIONISM RESOLUTION: Americans United Warned Kanawha County School Board About Potential Lawsuit
• 12/16/99 : Faculty members at OU protest evolution disclaimer -- Science teachers send statement to Gov. Keating (OK)
• 12/17/99 : Gazette Online - WV School board vote Evolution 4 Creation 1
• 12/10/99 : Creationists Secretly Authored Kansas Science Standards, Kansas Citizens For Science Members Charge
• 11/99 : Evolution of a Controversy - "Almost 75 years after the Scopes trial, a new species of the old Darwin vs. creation debate has come to life in a suburban Seattle community"
• 11/11/99 : AMERICANS UNITED URGES OKLAHOMA EDUCATION OFFICIALS TO BLOCK TEXTBOOK COMMITTEE'S ANTI-EVOLUTION CRUSADE
• 11/11/99 : Biology textbooks in Oklahoma to come with disclaimer - "A state committee has voted to require a disclaimer in new biology textbooks saying evolution is a "controversial theory."
• 11/8/99 : Most Kansans Support Evolution
• 10/24/99 : Illinois Euphemizes Evolution - "The Illinois Board of Education has quietly eliminated the term 'evolution' from state school standards."
• 10/12/99 : Kansas Still Mulls Evolution Wording
• 10/8/99 : Creationism May Leave NM Schools / New Mexico SBE: Evolution - 13!; Creationism - 1
• 10/8/99 : KANSAS POLL REVEALS STRONG CREATIONIST BELIEFS BUT MAJORITY SUPPORT TEACHING EVOLUTION
• 10/5/99 : 'Evolution' Removed from Kentucky Curriculum
• 10/99 : Evolution Evasion: How A Religious Right Drive To Censor Evolution In Public Schools Has Torn Kansans Apart And Ignited A New National Debate Over Church And State
• 9/27/99 : "Evolution Devolution", from The Why Files
• 9/19/99 : Rethinking the Scopes Trial - "The passage of time has obscured one important result from the infamous Scopes “Monkey Trial”: No one is sure who won."
• 9/7/99 : Evolution Education Getting Complicated
• 9/2/99 : Copyright vs. Evolution in Kansas
• 8/29/99 : GORE WAFFLING IN DEBATE OVER TEACHING OF CREATIONISM
• 8/26/99 : GOP Candidates Want Creationism Taught - "Much to the dismay of scientists, the leading presidential contenders are in favor of teaching creationism in public schools."
• 8/16/99 : U.S. Adults Skeptical About Evolution - "Views in U.S. Much Different Than Elsewhere... Nearly half of American adults believe in a biblical interpretation of creation."
• 8/14/99 : KANSAS DE-EVOLVES ON SCIENCE TEACHING SCHOOLS MAY TEACH CREATIONISM NEW AGE ACCOUNTS OF LIFE.
• 8/12/99 : NY Times: Kansas Votes to Delete Evolution From State's Science Curriculum - The Kansas Board of Education voted on Wednesday to delete virtually any mention of evolution from the state's science curriculum
• 8/12/99 : ABCNEWS.com: Kansas Drops Study of Evolution - Theory No Longer at Center of State’s Biology Study
• 8/9/99 : KANSAS IS NEXT BATTLEGROUND IN EVOLUTION DEBATE
• 3/26/99 : Authors Defend Evolution Education - "A group of 23 textbook authors are defending science textbooks explaining evolution, saying the subject should not be avoided by educators."
• 12/98 : After a protracted controversy the Arizona state board of education voted 6-3 on August 24 (1998) to include teaching evolution in the state's science curriculum standards. Three holdout board members wanted the schools to include evidence against evolution. "Voice of Reason" 12/98
• 6/17/98 : Darwin Takes a Drubbing - "Don't turn your back on your roots. In local school boards around the country, there's an effort to cast doubt on evolution in favor of a six-day explanation."
• 1997/1998: Creationisrts Push Psuedo-Science Text (ID)
• 10/30/97 : Evolution Too Controversial for Illinois Schools
• 1996: An evolution disclaimer is ordered to be stuck into the front of every textbook of Biology used in the public schools.

Other News Sources

• CHURCH-STATE-SCHOOLS NEWS
  • CREATION SCIENCE NEWS
• AMERICAN ATHEISTS FLASHLINE NEWS PAGE
• National Center for Science Education
• Americans United for Separation of Church and State
  • Americans United - State Legislative Update
• ACLU News -- Current Press Releases
• Internet Infidels News Wire
• The Freedom Forum online