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8/27/02
To all:
It has been a quiet summer regarding the pending state
science standards. No action was taken by the State Board Standards Committee at the
June or July meetings. There was no board meeting in August. HOWEVER, the Standards
Writing Team has completed their work. As expected, the final draft being sent to
the State Board for consideration completely IGNORES concerns raised by thousands of Ohio
citizens over the last 8 months. The Standards Committee co-chairs [Joe Roman and
Thomas McClain] appear to be embracing the biased viewpoint of evolution-as-fact, in
complete disregard of the will of the majority of Ohioans.
The Standards Committee of the State Board of Education is
expected to discuss and possibly make decisions regarding the work of the Writing Team at
their meeting on September 9. The FULL board is expected to vote on the draft at the
October meeting. As it stands, the draft, IF left unchanged, will require students
to master the "evolution as fact" and be tested to "know that all of
today's life evolved from a single ancestral form." Ohio's new assessment
system and theaccountability system set up in President Bush's federal legislation
"No Child Left Behind" will place tremendous pressure on all schools public and
private to conform.
IT IS CRITICAL that citizens contact Governor Bob Taft to
express disappointment in his lack of leadership on behalf of our families on this issue.
It has been clearly demonstrated through public opinion polls and direct public
feedback that the vast majority of Ohio citizens expect the standards to require the
presentation of ALL scientific evidence regarding the origin of life, including evidence
that will contradict Darwin's theories.
Note: A recent extensive poll conducted by the Cleveland
Plain Dealer showed that ONLY 8% of Ohioans want students to be taught evolution only, as
fact. 92% want a more balanced approach!!
Governor Taft in the midst of seeking reelection, MUST hear
from Ohioans! He
has appointed 10 of the current members of the State Board of Education [2 appointments
were to fill vacated elected seats - Jim Craig and Sam Schloemer]. The Governor is
in a position to influence the appointees to make a decision that would support requiring
the teaching of both sides of the evolution issue. SO FAR, Governor Taft has chosen
to ignore Ohio citizens and side with scientists that want to aggressively protect
Darwin's theories.
ACTION:
1. Contact Governor Taft: 614-466-3555.
2. Contact Mrs. Elizabeth Ross, Special Assistant to the Governor on Education:
614-644-0953. Mrs. Ross will convey your messages to Governor Taft.
If you have contacted Governor Taft previously, please
consider doing so again, as a follow-up.
General Message [put in your OWN words]: Ohio
science standards should reflect the will of the people -- the people who pay for the
system. The science standards should be fair and balanced. The standards
should NOT require students to master an "evolution only as fact" viewpoint on
new state assessments. Students should be required to understand current scientific
critiques of Darwin's theories. Understanding all sides of a scientific issue, such
as the origin of life, is consistent with the scientific process of open inquiry. We
expect Governor Taft to exercise leadership with the State Board of Education to persuade
them to support balanced instruction and to make the appropriate changes to the draft
prepared by the Science Writing Team. Without his leadership on this important
issue, he will NOT have my support at the polls in November.
NOTE: It is critical that this alert is shared as
widely as possible. Governor Taft needs to hear from thousands of Ohioans this week and
next. If you are new to this list and have any questions, please don't hesitate to
ask.
Respectfully submitted,
Melanie Elsey
Note: This email does not reflect the views of any
501(c)3 organization regarding the upcoming election. |
