Lee Davis
Governor Bill Haslam allowed House Bill 368/
Senate Bill 893, the evolution bill, to become law without his signature. The governor's move is symbolic in that it signals his opposition but allows the measure to be added to the state code. The message sent is, however, confusing. The governor can tell bill supporters that he allowed it to become law, and still he will be able to say to the bill's critics that he refused to sign the legislation.
Both statements are true, but neither shows leadership.
The
Tennessean reports that the bill became law in Tennessee, "despite a veto campaign mounted by scientists and civil libertarians who say it will reopen a decades-old controversy over teaching creationism to the state’s schoolchildren." Supporters of the law say it simply allows teachers to critique subjects like evolution or global warming without fear of discipline.
Critics of the legislation say that the purpose of the law is to allow teachers to promote their personal beliefs in the classroom. The law creates an opportunity for teachers--who may wish to openly challenge the science of evolution with religious beliefs of creationism and intelligent design--to do so.
Here are the principal passages of the new law.
"The teaching of some scientific subjects, including, but not limited to, biological evolution, the chemical origins of life, global warming, and human cloning, can cause controversy. Some teachers may be unsure of the expectations concerning how they should present information on such subjects. Teachers shall be permitted to help students understand, analyze, critique, and review in an objective manner the scientific strengths and scientific weaknesses of existing scientific theories covered in the course being taught. {No school official}...shall prohibit any teacher in a public school system of this state from helping students understand, analyze, critique, and review in an objective manner the scientific strengths and scientific weaknesses of existing scientific theories covered in the course being taught. This section only protects the teaching of scientific information, and shall not be construed to promote any religious or non-religious doctrine, promote discrimination for or against a particular set of religious beliefs or non-beliefs, or promote discrimination for or against religion or non-religion."
On its face, you can say that this law protects teachers who may wish to criticize evolution and that it allows teachers to counsel students on the weaknesses of evolution, global warming, and human cloning. While many may applaud that move by the Tennessee legislature, it seems that all it really accomplishes is to muddy the waters of established science.
Teachers should educate our children with the best science and technologies that the world has to offer. Doing so is the only way the next generation will compete in tomorrow's ever-shrinking global economy.
Studies show how American students compete in science against their global peers. Students in seven countries scored higher than U.S. 4th-graders in physical science, while in life science and earth science students in three countries scored higher than U.S. 4th-graders. U.S. 8th-graders were outperformed by 8th-graders of another country in 10 instances in physics, in 9 instances in chemistry, and in 5 instances in both biology and earth science.
Three questions to Governor Haslam and the Tennessee legislature. (1) Given the international competition for jobs and innovation, is now the time to water down quality science education? (2) Will Tennessee be a place for ground-breaking science and technology if our school-age children continue to fall behind in science? (3) Who will lead the change in thinking that international business work requires?
In this world of global competition the cheer that "USA is Number One" needs to be in science.
(Lee Davis is a Chattanooga attorney who can be reached at lee@davis-hoss.com or at 266-0605.)