Posted on 01/15/2005 12:03:24 PM PST by wagglebee
After battling a California school district for more than a year over its teaching of evolution, a parent has filed a civil-rights lawsuit in federal court alleging his constitutional rights to free speech, equal protection and religious freedom were violated.
Larry Caldwell's suit against the Roseville Joint Union High School District and school officials in Sacramento centers on his attempt to introduce a curriculum that changes how the theory of evolution is taught, without introducing religious content.
His "Quality Science Education Policy" and related instructional materials include presentation of scientific weaknesses of evolution in biology classes.
"Currently, only the scientific strengths of evolution are taught in biology classes, with no discussion of the scientific weaknesses or criticism of evolution," said Caldwell, a practicing lawyer in Sacramento.
But after proposing the curriculum in 2003, Caldwell says officials refused to follow the normal procedures of review and "did everything in their power to prevent any meaningful consideration of my proposals, systematically violating their own stated policies in the process."
That included "publicly attacking my personal religious beliefs, and even threatening to sue me to stop me from speaking out," he said.
"These are tactics you'd expect in a banana republic, not the state of California."
In June, board members voted 3-2 against the curriculum.
Superintendent Tony Monetti could not be reached for comment.
In an interview with WorldNetDaily, Caldwell emphasized there is nothing about religion in the materials.
"We talked about science, and all the other side wanted to talk about was religion," he said.
Noting he has a law degree from George Washington University, Caldwell said, "I'm not an ignorant anti-science person, by any means."
"They quickly try to paint you as an ignorant, religious nutcase," said Caldwell, who acknowledges he is a Christian. "That's what we're up against.
"A citizen ought to be able to bring in a science proposal on the merits, without casting him as a religiouis fanatic and marginalizing," he continued.
The lawsuit asks the court to reform the district's practices to "ensure that citizens of all political viewpoints and religious beliefs will be able to enjoy their constitutional right to bring education policy proposals before the school board and other school officials on an equal basis, without illegal discrimination."
Caldwell said that for eight months, district officials repeatedly refused to put his QSE Policy on the school board agenda, contrary to California state law.
He claimed that at an open meeting held to hear parental input on school curricula, officials without any justification banned parents from speaking in favor of his proposal.
Caldwell school board member James Joiner attempted to intimidate him and other parents from exercising their free speech rights by asking the school-district attorney to investigate filing a lawsuit against him.
District officials, he claimed, illegally used their positions to try to discredit and defame him by publicly attacking his personal religious beliefs and spreading false rumors.
At one point, Caldwell said, the district falsely claimed he had asked a school official to distribute a religious tract at a school district meeting. The school district later admitted the allegation was false.
Good for the parents. Now if only more across the nation would follow their example.
1. The unsubstantiation of a Darwinian mechanism of evolution
2. The total failure of origin of life studies to produce a workable model
3. The inability of evolutionary mechanism to explain the origin of complex adaptations
4. The bankruptcy of the blind watchmaker hypothesis
5. The biological evidence that the rule in nature is morphological stability over time and not constant change.
Raymond G. Bohlin is a graduate of the University of Illinois (B.S., zoology), North Texas State University (M.S., population genetics), and the University of Texas at Dallas (M.S., Ph.D., molecular biology)
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How do Darwin's observations interfere with your belief in scripture?
I'm still waiting for someone to direct me to that portion of the Constitution that indicates that the federal government should have any role in education.
They don't.
The best argument in favor of evolution are the creationists, for they have not evolved.
You are correct.
Must be a major flaw; they had to make up a new word to describe it.
2. The total failure of origin of life studies to produce a workable model
They are repeatedly informed that Darwinian evolution does not concern itself with the origin of life. They continually repeat the same lie.
3. The inability of evolutionary mechanism to explain the origin of complex adaptations
Unsubstantiated assertion.
4. The bankruptcy of the blind watchmaker hypothesis
Unsubstantiated assertion.
5. The biological evidence that the rule in nature is morphological stability over time and not constant change.
The creationists claim you can't prove evolution, because you can't monitor life over an extended period of time. But they have no problem making assertions about what they think happens over the same sort of extended time period.
Please do not turn this into an evolution vs. creationism debate!
This is what so many of us have been praying for! For someone, a Christian, to stand up and demand that WE have free speech too!
Can't those of us who are seeing prayers come true, just rejoice? And can't those of us who think the rest of us are "religious nutcases" just shut it?
You will have your debate threads...please don't make this one of them!
Darwin visited the Galapagos over 150 years ago, yet in that time, this self-contained ecosystem has yet to see any hint of any new species "evolving," nor have there been any other new species observed anywhere on earth in recorded history that I am aware of. However, there have been species that have been driven to extinction. Darwin's theory on the "survival of the fittest" seems quite correct; but, there is no proof whatsoever of any new species naturally "evolving."
I certainly see your point. Unfortunately, I do not see any way that any discussion of Darwinism will not debate evolution.
Neither have you, slob.
The battles seem to be heating up of late.
The Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel.
A lot of scientists no longer believe in evolution; too much evidence points out that it cannot work.
The Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel.
A lot of scientists no longer believe in evolution; too much evidence points out that it cannot work. Just one more reason to homeschool.
Is there anything about evolution that anyone knows to be a scientificly proven fact? Is there even one thing that you are absolutely sure of?
Evolution is the end results of thousands upon thousands of generations. The faster the reproduction rate, the faster the evolution. The slower the reproduction rate, the slower the evolution.
While the generation cycle for humans is around 20 years, that for bacteria at every 20 minutes.
The 150 years since Darwin's trip to the Galapagos is the equivalent of 2 1/2 hours in terms of bacteria reproduction rates.
As a result, bacteria evolve so rapdly that Hospitals need to keep publishing new anti-biotic guides that inform the doctors practicing at that particular Hospital what antibiotics work for what hospital-acquired bacteria at any given time.
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