PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Dover Area School District to teach "Intelligent Design"
by david Sunday, Nov. 21, 2004 at 9:51 PM

The Dover Area School District has cast a vote against evolutionary theory.

The Dover Area School District has amended its school curriculum so that “Students will be made aware of gaps/problems in Darwin’s Theory and of other theories of evolution including, but not limited to Intelligent Design."

The Dover Area is a 3,600-student school district 20 miles south of Harrisburg. It has become the first school district in the U.S. encourage that "Intelligent Design" be taught alongside Evolutionary Theory. Intelligent Design is a pseudo-scientific "theory" claiming that the complexity of the natural world is evidence of a supernatural force at work.

According to revised curriculum, the following statement will be read to all students:

The state standards require students to learn about Darwin’s Theory of Evolution and to eventually take a standardized test of which evolution is a part.

Because Darwin’s Theory is a theory, it is still being tested as new evidence is discovered. The Theory is not a fact. Gaps in the Theory exist for which there is no evidence. A theory is defined as a well-tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations.

Intelligent Design is an explanation of the origin of life that differs from Darwin’s view. The reference book, Of Pandas and People, is available for students to see if they would like to explore this view in an effort to gain an understanding of what Intelligent Design actually involves. As is true with any theory, students are encouraged to keep an open mind.

The school leaves the discussion of the Origins of Life up to individual students and their families. As a standards-driven district, class instruction focuses on the standards and preparing students to be successful on standards-based assessments.

Read the school board's press release here: http://www.dover.k12.pa.us/doversd/cwp/view.asp?A=3&Q=261852

Of Pandas and People has been widely criticized for misrepresenting biology and misleading students as to the scientific status of evolutionary biology. Among other things, it distorts or outright ignores geological evidence concerning the age of the Earth, numerous fossil records, the issue of extinction and molecular evidence. Read a critique of Of Pandas and People here: http://www.kcfs.org/pandas.html.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled teaching creationism in public schools is unconstitutional, the Christian Right has advanced "Intelligent Design" as a back-door to creationism. Dover's is the first school district to attempt this tactic of undermining evolutionary theory by supporting Intelligent Design.

Two board members of the Dover Area School District quit in protest after the board voted 6-3 in favor of the curriculum changes.

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