The 58 men and women who worked on the original draft of the new Florida science standards are now back at it. They’re going through all the public and professional input that has flooded in over the past few months. May the force be with them.

This opinion article in the Miami Herald by writer Fred Grimm gave me some serious things to ponder.

Oscar Howard Jr., superintendent of Taylor County’s School District, and Danny Lundy, vice chairman of the School Board, spoke in accents from that other Florida. ”We’re opposed to teaching evolution as a fact,” Howard said, adding that his School Board and 11 others have passed resolutions against the imposition of evolution in the school curriculum.

Wait a minute. Did I read that right? Eleven other counties passed anti-evolution resolutions? How in the world did that escape any real public notice until now? I’m only aware of three right now. I can understand a few school boards hiding in the shadows and only attracting the attention of their little weekly newspapers. But 12 total? TWELVE?! And here I was feeling so clever for discovering one by poking around in search engines. I feel silly now.

And here’s a real good point that should shame just about everyone that has been stomping their feet about how offensive evolution is to them.

Then, the final speaker, Lisa Dizengoff, director of science curriculum at Pembroke Pines Charter School’s east campus, angrily reminded the crowd that after all the carping over evolution, no one had gotten around to addressing the state’s lackadaisical, last-century approach to science education. ”All I heard was this argument about evolution,” she said, disgusted that so many other problems had been preempted by a single controversy. “The kids lost out again.”

Yes, I agree.