[Texasforever]

But to single out Evolution, when it's obvious to any conscious human that it is a religious element that's fighting it, is a First Amendment establishment of religion

What was the wording on the sticker?

[narby]

There are a couple of other threads out there within the last few days that have the wording. Basically, it says that students should evaluate Evolution carefully because it is only a theory. (if you haven't kept up with the discussions on what is, and is not a scientific theory, then please don't say "well, it IS only a theory". Been there, done that, that's incorrect)

[anguish]

"This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered."

It's factually incorrect since (1) evolution is both a theory and a fact, and (2) it has nothing to do with the origin of life. That aside, the purpose of the sticker was to accomodate parents that held that God created everything (6000 or so years ago). The court applied Chief Justice Warren Burger's "Lemon test" that says:

To be constitutional, a statute must have "a secular legislative purpose," it must have principal effects which neither advance nor inhibit religion, and it must not foster "an excessive government entanglement with religion."

... and found that the sticker failed the 'Effect' part, as a "reasonable observer" "would perceive the School Board to be aligning itself with proponents of religious theories of origin."