Politics at TEA Undermines 21st Century Education for Texas Kids
from Texas Freedom Network
In an alarming development, political attacks on science may now be undermining the work of professional staff at the Texas Education Agency (TEA). For more than a decade, the Texas Freedom Network has worked to counter attacks on sound science education by a radical faction of State Board of Education members. That far-right faction – now more powerful than ever before – has persistently pushed to undermine the teaching of evolution and promote “creationism” in public school science classes. Now it appears that this anti-science agenda is infecting the TEA itself.
The Austin American-Statesman reports that TEA’s science curriculum director has been forced out after she forwarded an e-mail about an expert on “intelligent design” speaking in Austin. The expert, Dr. Barbara Forrest of Southeastern Louisiana University, has written extensively about a Pennsylvania school board sued for requiring that students learn about “intelligent design” as an alternative “theory” to evolution. A federal judge ruled in 2005 that “intelligent design” is essentially biblical creationism dressed up in a cynical attempt to look like science. As a result, he wrote, it has no place in a public school science classroom.
But rather than commending the science curriculum director for responsibly monitoring the issue, TEA political appointees demanded that she resign or be fired. Even worse, this action comes as TEA and the State Board of Education begin a major revision of our public school science curriculum standards!
The American-Statesman published excerpts of internal memos showing that the demand to fire the director came from a former Bush administration political appointee who now serves as a deputy director at TEA. Other memos detail reasons for the firing. “Ms. Comer’s e-mail implies endorsement of the speaker and implies that TEA endorses the speaker’s position on a subject on which the agency must remain neutral,” reads one TEA memo.
Outrageous! There is nothing “neutral” about remaining silent when anti-evolution pressure groups promote agendas – like teaching “intelligent design”/creationism in public schools – that have nothing to do with sound science. Texas schoolchildren deserve better than a 19th-century education in their 21st-century classrooms!
What Can You Do?
1) Read the full article in the American-Statesman.
2) Write a letter to the editor and explain why you support a 21st century education for our Texas schoolchildren.
3) Join the Texas Freedom Network’s Stand Up for Science campaign! TFN will keep you informed about efforts to undermine the teaching of evolution as well as attacks on responsible sex education in public schools and promising medical research using stem cells. We will give you the tools and information you need to take action against efforts to undermine sound science in Texas.
4) Donate to TFN and help us counter the far right’s relentless assault on sound science in Texas.