On November 24th, 1858 Charles Darwin’s book The Origin Of Species was published. This book upended the public’s understanding of mankind’s origin and the history of the myriad species that populate the planet. It would eventually transform how the public conceptualized man’s origins and would impact virtually every field of study in some way or another. Since the time of its publication, Charles Darwin’s book has faced criticism, some of it from the scientific community but much of it from theologians and from those whose criticisms of it didn’t come from science but rather from ideologies and preconceptions about any ideas that differed from their own. The purpose of this post is to remind readers that to some strident creationists the battle to make creationism sneak back into public schools hasn’t yet ended and why that ought to matter to progressives.

Creationism In Charter Schools:

Others have noted that charter schools blur the line between religious and secular education. Charter schools can and occasionally do teach creationism. This is due to the complex rules concerning what is permissible and what isn’t permissible in charter schools, schools that receive public funding but operate independently of the established public school rules and regulations that vary from state to state and are from time to time privately owned.

Charter schools that teach creationism are not particularly common but they exist with one of the highest profile examples being that of Responsive Education Solutions (of which Slate reported on in 2014) a charter school system that operates in Texas and Arkansas, and until the beginning of 2016 also operated schools in Indiana, RES teaches around 17,000 students and despite the ridiculous content they teach to those unfortunate enough to go to their schools their schools receive public funds

Creationism In Conventional Public Schools & Academic Freedom Bills:

Creationism can be taught in public schools in Louisana and in Tennessee due to bills passed in 2008 and 2012 with Louisana’s being 2008 bill entitled the Louisiana Academic Freedom Act and Tennessee’s 2012 H.B. 368/S.B. 893. One of the key terms people need to familiarize themselves with, in this context is “Academic Freedom bills”. An “Academic Freedom bill” is a bill that deregulates the science classroom and makes it permissible to teach ideas that are unscientific alongside scientific ideas and theories in an effort to make the creationism and evolution appear as if they are on equal footing to impressable children.

The only 2 examples of Academic Freedom bills that have survived the vetting of legislative chambers and made it through the whole process by which a bill becomes a law is Louisiana’s Academic Freedom Act and Tennessee’s “Monkey Bill” (due to an article in Tennessee’s state constitution about how bills become laws if the governor doesn’t sign them within 10 days). That hasn’t stopped the legislative chambers of various states from trying to make one of these bills into their latest achievements with examples including Alabama, Oklahoma, Maryland, New Mexico, Florida, Missouri, Michigan, South Carolina, and Iowa. A few of these states have only had 1 attempt (Maryland, South Carolina, and Iowa) and the others had have more than one.

In Alabama, there were multiple attempts, including one that unanimously passed the state senate, and a few that died without being voted on (due to being stuck in committee), and a few that were never passed. In Oklahoma, two different bills that were after the same idea, in theory, were introduced into each chamber of the state legislature but didn’t pass the other chamber (one was introduced by representative Sally Kern and it passed the house but not the Senate, and the other was introduced in the Senate but didn’t pass it). In 2009 in Oklahoma, a new bill highly based off of the Louisana bill which passed in 2008 was introduced but died in committee. In Maryland, a bill was introduced in 2006 but lapsed at the end of the 2006 legislative session. In New Mexico initially, two bills were introduced in 2007 (one for each chamber) but died at the end of the legislative session. In 2009 another bill would be introduced which would die in committee at the end of the legislative session. In Florida, in early 2008 a bill was introduced to the state Senate and to the state House which was based on the Discovery Institute’s model statue but was cleverly used by state-level Senate Democrats to protect the discussion of sex-education which resulted in it being defeated and different from the state House of Representatives version of the bill. In 2008 in Missouri, a member of the state’s Representatives introduced an academic freedom bill which would eventually pass committee but died when the legislative session ended. Another representative would try in 2009 and would fail in the same way. In 2008 in Michigan bills for both state chambers would be introduced but would die at the end of the year without having gathered enough support to be affirmatively voted on. The same would happen for both South Carolina (bill introduced in the state Senate) and Iowa (Senate as well) where both would die in committee but on different years with Iowa’s happening in 2009 and South Carolina’s happening in 2008.

That might seem like a long time ago to some but not only is it not a long time ago but it’s worth noting that in Oklahoma in 2017 another attempt occurred which would be blocked in late April but not before making it through a house panel on general government oversight and accountability. It’s also important to remember that some of the proponents of anti-evolution legislation are still in office, such as Sally Kern, John Moolenaar, and continue to be involved in politics with an example being Alan Hays, one of the proponents and sponsors of the Florida bills (who was elected to be the supervisor of elections of his home in Lake County, Florida).

The debate hasn’t ended. Politicians who’d threaten the time and resources of science teachers continue to wait in office, and would undoubtedly make another attempt to deregulate our science classrooms and urge science teachers to behave like creationism and evolution are on equal footing if voters, scientists, science communicators, and more don’t pressure them to not waste tax-payer dollars on their ideological campaigns to deregulate our classrooms. Don’t be indifferent and don’t arrogantly think they’ve given up until they are all out of office.