evolution

[mommyof4]

I did not attend school in CA, but if this is in fact correct, then the problem goes well beyond the OP's child. I would imagine there are a rather large number of concerned parents who could be convinced to make a "joint" request to the school to clarify their curriculum. Such requests when made by a Lone Parent are easy to ignore. When they come from Parents of Half the Class, not so much.

Have you not seen any of the coverage on this topic over the past few years? There has, in fact, been MANY people lodging complaints over evolution being taught as fact.

In fairness, there have also been many complaints that evolution is being taught at all.

I attended school in TX. You know...the state that just got so much heat for it's 'conservative bias' forced into the coming textbooks. Never mind that the information to be included is, from what I have seen, actually accurate.

I agree that it is not an inappropriate subject to cover. However, the lessons need to be balanced and made clear that it is an ever evolving theory and that nobody has all of the answers.

(My personal belief is that nobody will EVER have all the answers because we are not meant to understand everything.)

Even the big bang theory, while to me makes perfect sense and is pretty much accepted as the beginning of the universe, if I forgo the mind bending question of where did all the compressed matter come from to begin with (don't worry. I'm the kid that asked my preacher how God came to be and if he had a mother, how SHE came to be. I'm an equal opportunity questioner.), is a theroy. Yet, certain people claim that evolution is the answer. How does ANYBODY know that? Last I checked, crucial 'links' were as yet missing.

 

[CdwJava]

Not just the classroom, we here on the Right Coast think your courts are crazy too (On the other hand, there's always room on the subway for two more. Ever thought about moving?)

We talk about it every night ... but, other than Texas, there are few places hiring senior cops, and I do not want to leave a safe job to be low man on the totem pole as the economy gets flushed even deeper into recession by ever-expanding government greed.

 

[xylene]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? WA
Is there a legal way for me to opt my child out of an evelution theory section in science class? From my understanding in WA state schools are required to teach this theory as fact. It would be against my religous beliefs to allow him to stay in the class for this section. I have looked and cannot find an answer anywhere.

Thank you

This matter is widely settled in case law.

The state's interest in providing in the public school setting a complete and accurate teaching of biology supersedes your barely articulatable 'religious belief' that would enjoin your son from the lesson which forms the basis of modern biological precepts.

The problem is not God Vs. Evolution. Or the nature of a theory.

Now, as an example, if you were a kosher keeping jew, and the lesson was to dissect a baby pig (and eat it...) then you would be able to clearly articulate a religious disability to the lesson and justifiably gain accommodation

The problem is you can't articulate ANY reason from your religious cannon why this lesson musn't be taught.

Do you really think the state has to grant an exception from your child hearing blasphemy?


In the case of the hypothetical case above of the jewish child, there would be no religious injunction to looking at diagrams of a baby pigs anatomy or watching a video of a dissection...

You are asking for a curtain to be made to shild your child from blasphemy and it is not going to happen.

---

My more curt private thought on the matter:

Why don't you cut the taxpayers a break and just put your kid in some faith appropriate PRIVATE school and be done with it?

 

[>Charlotte<]

Her post was beyond insulting to me and, I am sure, to many others here.

I'm just as insulted, but not nearly as surprised.

For OP's benefit, here is a link to the document "Washington State K-12 Science Standards" which outlines exactly what will be taught, and what the student is expected to demonstrate having learned.

http://tinyurl.com/yjadrto

I've only quickly scanned most of this thread, but I believe the question of whether WBOE is teaching evolution as absolute fact has been raised. This document seems to indicate that it is.

 

[You Are Guilty]

We talk about it every night ... but, other than Texas, there are few places hiring senior cops, and I do not want to leave a safe job to be low man on the totem pole as the economy gets flushed even deeper into recession by ever-expanding government greed.

Fair enough, I know the feeling. I'll save you some space in my off-the-grid shack in the backwoods of Costa Rica.

 

[xylene]

We talk about it every night ... but, other than Texas, there are few places hiring senior cops, and I do not want to leave a safe job to be low man on the totem pole as the economy gets flushed even deeper into recession by ever-expanding government greed.

Isn't policework a government job?

 

[Humusluvr]

I'm not running from the theory of evelution. I want my son to understand what others believe. I just dont want him to be taught that a theory is a fact. I want him to be educated not indoctrinated.
I have decided to pull him from the section on evelution. I will teach him the theory from home. He will go back to science class with the understanding the evelution is what some people believe to be fact like some people don't believe that there is a God who created the world and all in it.

I hope that all come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. If not that is your choice in a "free" country.

I am a devote Christian and a Biology teacher - and I teach evolution as science, and creation is religion, which has no place in the science classroom.

You act as though, by saying "evolution," I'm conjuring some picture of monkey to man. So not true. Evolution is simply "change over time." Organisms that have a gene that is better adapted to an environment survive and reproduce. We can PROVE this happens, look at bird plumage, butterfly wings, insects that look like sticks, white fur seals, and the list goes on....

Intelligent design has NO PLACE in the science classroom. It is based on faith, not science. You cannot prove, no matter how hard you try, that God exists, because that is the basic tenets of faith. You have to believe. We don't teach things in science that we can't prove, and adaptation we can prove, camouflage, mimicry, gene mutations, DNA similarities, vestigial organs, homologous structures - the list goes on and on. Evolution does not say, nothing created us. We were once all soup. It says, we changed over time. Scientists have come up with theories about how life began, but we aren't free to teach ID as fact.

Christians believe one thing, Muslims another, Buddhists something different. Heck, Google "The Flying Spaghetti Monster" and you'll see what some people offer as the argument against intelligent design.

Your son should learn the concepts in science that have shaped us into what we are. Excluding him from science is, in my opinion, deplorable. Let him learn evolution as science in school, and take him to church or teach him creation as religion and faith from home. It has no place in public school.

 

[BOR]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? WA
Is there a legal way for me to opt my child out of an evelution theory section in science class? From my understanding in WA state schools are required to teach this theory as fact. It would be against my religous beliefs to allow him to stay in the class for this section. I have looked and cannot find an answer anywhere.

Thank you

I also find the degrading of religion by BP incredible, totally unbelievable.

To answer the Q though, the argument you would have is based on the 1st AM, and sorry to say, it will have no weight here.

Teachers/schools are given wide "academic freedom" as it is known, to teach courses, as long as there is not a clear conflict between church and state, your efforts will probably be futile.

On the reverse, I have read before where parents wished to pull books off the library shelf where they mentioned goblins/witchcraft, etc., as it is offensive in nature as teaching sorcery, such as Harry Potter.

 

[CdwJava]

Isn't policework a government job?

Contrary to popular belief, government jobs are getting the axe everywhere ... at least at the state and local level. And especially in CA.

Those that DO remain are suffering mandated pay cuts, furloughs, loss of benefits, and all manner of slash and burn results. Since those of us in public safety (at least in CA) are forbidden to strike or take any demonstrable job action, we have two choices: Unemployment, or, bend over.

Now, they estimate about another 15,000+ IRS agents will be necessary to minimally monitor monthly compliance with the new medical insurance regs against the US population and employers, so THAT seems to be a growth industry along with the thousands of associated federal regulatory positions to monitor the implementation and pursuit of evildoers who fail to comply. If there is a growth industry in government, it is - or will be - bureaucrats who will monitor us on a scale greater than even Orwell imagined.

 

[mommyof4]

We talk about it every night ... but, other than Texas, there are few places hiring senior cops, and I do not want to leave a safe job to be low man on the totem pole as the economy gets flushed even deeper into recession by ever-expanding government greed.

What's wrong with TEXAS?????

 

[CdwJava]

What's wrong with TEXAS?????

Nothing, really ... we just don't want to go where there is urban sprawl (which is why we left southern CA) and the rural areas where there are cop and teaching jobs are in the middle of nowhere or pay barely above minimum wage.

I am keeping options open, though. One of our officers left for TX when he got laid off last year, was promoted to Sgt. on swearing in and is now an acting captain!!! Heck, I could be Chief somewhere with that kind of luck!

 

[Humusluvr]

Nothing, really ... we just don't want to go where there is urban sprawl (which is why we left southern CA) and the rural areas where there are cop and teaching jobs are in the middle of nowhere or pay barely above minimum wage.

I am keeping options open, though. One of our officers left for TX when he got laid off last year, was promoted to Sgt. on swearing in and is now an acting captain!!! Heck, I could be Chief somewhere with that kind of luck!

I lived in a town that had both teaching jobs and police jobs immediately available, as long as you were bilingual. How's your espanol?

 

[mommyof4]

Nothing, really ... we just don't want to go where there is urban sprawl (which is why we left southern CA) and the rural areas where there are cop and teaching jobs are in the middle of nowhere or pay barely above minimum wage.

I am keeping options open, though. One of our officers left for TX when he got laid off last year, was promoted to Sgt. on swearing in and is now an acting captain!!! Heck, I could be Chief somewhere with that kind of luck!

I do believe Kunckle has or is retiring from DPD. Maybe we can get a petition going to recommend you for that position!

I love Dallas. Of course, I'm biased. That's home.

 

[BOR]

What's wrong with TEXAS?????

All my ex-es live in Tex-as.

 

[mommyof4]

All my ex-es live in Tex-as.

(High pitched squeal....)

OMG!!! Are you, like, George Strait, fer REEEEEEAL???


EEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!