Civil Suit Forces School Board to Consider Evolution Critic's Proposal
by Jim Brown
November 3, 2005
(AgapePress) - - A California school board sued for alleged religious discrimination must now allow consideration of a Christian man's science education proposal. The lawsuit arose out of a year-long effort by parent Larry Caldwell to get the Roseville School Board to adopt his "Quality Science Education" policy. Caldwell's proposed policy is designed to enhance students' critical thinking skills by teaching some of the scientific weaknesses of Darwin's theory of evolution in school biology classes. However, the California parent alleges the board kept the policy from public debate and consideration at school board meetings because of his Christian beliefs.
Now a federal judge has ruled that Caldwell has the First Amendment right to put the proposed science policy up for debate at local school board meetings. He considers the court's decision a fair one, since he feels the school officials blocking debate over his proposal were laboring under a false impression of his intentions.
"I think there's a misperception out there that anyone who wants to put any criticism of evolution in a science class is supposedly just a Christian trying to impose their Christian beliefs on people," Caldwell observes. He says it is unfortunate that some people have tried to cast the controversy as a religion versus science issue or "that sort of thing."
The plaintiff in the suit against the Roseville School Board believes those who seek to characterize any effort like his as some kind of creationist crusade are simply trying to discredit genuine critics of the theory of evolution like himself. Meanwhile, he feels the board has been violating his constitutional rights to free speech and equal protection under the law in an attempt to keep him from challenging the Darwinist status quo.
"What we were hoping to accomplish with this lawsuit is to just establish the idea that if we ask the school board to put our policy on board for consideration again, they have to do it, Caldwell says. "They can't give us the runaround for eight months like they did the last time around."
The federal judge presiding over the case agreed, ruling that all citizens have a right to put a school policy item on their local school board's agenda for public debate and potential adoption. The Roseville School Board has not indicated whether it will appeal the court's decision.
Jim Brown, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
