I’m embarrassed.

Sure, the Taylor County school board was apparently the first to pass a resolution complaining about evolution (previous post here), but they’re not the only one.

Two more counties passed resolutions, too: Baker County and Holmes County.

The Baker County board meeting minutes from Dec. 17 say on page three:

Approval of the Resolution Urging State Board of Education to Direct Florida Department of Education to Revise the New Sunshine State Standards for Science Such That Evolution is Not Presented as Fact. Chairperson Weeks entertained a motion from the Board on this agenda item. As recommended by Superintendent Barton, Dean Griffis made a motion to approve the resolution, seconded by Dwight Crews. Karen McCollum read the resolution. The motion carried 5-0.

The local paper, The Standard, reported on the meeting back on Dec. 26.

First and foremost, the School Board looked into seeking a resolution that would urge the State Board of Education to direct the Florida Department of Education to revise the new Sunshine State Standards for science such that evolution is not presented as fact. “We contend based on the resolution that evolution is a theory, but is not the fundamental underlying concept,” said Superintendent Paula Barton. If the state were to approve the standards as proposed, then some students of this community would have to believe as fact laws that directly disagree with their faith. The board approved to have the resolution sent to the State Board of Education.

I don’t have a copy of the resolution itself. If anyone can help me dig it up, I would appreciate it. Updated Jan. 10: I now have a copy of the resolution and have uploaded it here.

The minutes from Holmes County’s Dec. 18 board meeting is not up on their website yet, but the Holmes County Times-Advertiser newspaper reported on the meeting in this Dec. 24 story.

“The Holmes County School Board recognizes the importance of providing a thorough and comprehensive science education to all the students in Holmes County and to all students in the state of Florida, it recognizes as even more important the need to present these standards through a fair and balanced approach, an approach that does not unfairly exclude other theories as to the creation of the universe.” Referring to the state’s new science standards, Board Chairman Vernon Lewis said, “It’s pretty much a done deal, but I choose to fight. I ask the public to do the same thing.”

Board Member Jason Motley said, “Science is not a fact. There’s always that percentage that it could be wrong.”

Hat tip to The Gradebook for the Baker County one. I discovered Holmes County on my own by playing around with search terms in Google and Yahoo.

Both counties have been added to our growing list of Florida education decision makers who have gone public with their opposition to evolution or their desire to see evolution diluted with “other theories” and such.