Experts Urge Florida Education Board To Adopt Creationism-Free Science Standards

Oakland, CA (AHN) - The National Center for Science Education (NCSE) and a science education expert have urged the Florida Board of Education to approve and adopt the final draft of state science standards that exclude teaching of the intelligent design concept in public schools.

In an interview on Wednesday, Dr. Lawrence S. Lerner, a professor emeritus at the California State University in Long Beach, said, "I think that boards of education are, of course, not experts in the subject matter, so they should take the advice of their experts and go on from there."

NCSE spokesman John Rosenau said the current science standards in Florida don't even use the word "evolution" making some biology classes lacking the fundamental organizing principle of modern biology.

"That should be worrying for people who are planning to be doctors, or who want to have doctors who are in school now, and who may want to go to medical school and be doctors down the line," Rosenau said.

The NCSE, which advocates the teaching of Darwin's Theory of Evolution in public schools, rejected calls to include creationism in the science standards saying, "In science class we teach science. Intelligent design is not science, and on that standard, it doesn't belong in a science class."

The final draft of the Florida science standards is currently being edited by the Department of Education. The Board of Education will consider the new standards at their meeting on Feb. 19.