In the thick of it

There are several issues that Florida Citizens for Science has been actively involved with. The most high-profile one to date has been the creation and approval of a new set of state science standards for Florida's public schools. After a long, tense struggle, the brand new standards were finally approved, but with some minor modifications that wound up pleasing no one. Nonetheless, the standards overall are high quality, and Florida Citizens for Science is proud to have had a role in their writing and eventual approval.

Our work is far from over, though. Right now the state legislature has bills filed in both houses that can undermine everyone's efforts to this point. Below is a summary of the fight leading up to today's current situation. (Many thanks to the NCSE for providing the majority of the below text.)

Evolution in the Florida state science standards

The Florida Department of Education released a draft revision of the state science standards on Oct. 19, 2007, and the e-word -- "evolution" -- is not only included but also prominent. In contrast, the old version of the standards received a score of 0/0 for its treatment of evolution in the Fordham Foundation's report The State of State Science Standards 2005, which observed, "The E-word is sedulously avoided. ... There is little in the way of useful guidance for teachers or others toward appropriate content in the biological sciences and especially in the history of life and the basic mechanisms of change."

Two of the authors of the Fordham report have expressed approval of the new draft, however. Paul R. Gross reviewed the draft at the request of the St. Petersburg Times (Nov. 30, 2007), which quoted him as saying, "Clearly, the writing committee, whoever they are, have taken to heart all the arguments that have been made about lousy standards," adding, "The organization of the plan is entirely respectable, and it pays attention to all the national models ... There's not a lot of fluff in it."

Similarly, Lawrence S. Lerner was asked by the National Center for Science Education and Florida Citizens for Science to review the draft. In a press release dated Dec. 3, 2007, Lerner said, "This draft is a giant step in the right direction ... It is clear, comprehensive, and most importantly, accurate." He estimated that, evaluated by the same standards of the Fordham Foundation's report, the standards would receive a high B, adding, "With a little bit of extra effort, Florida could bring that up to an A." Brandon Haught of Florida Citizens for Science commented, "Accurate and honest science education is critical to our state's future. ... These improved standards will give teachers a vital resource as they prepare the doctors, scientists, and citizens of the 21st century."

The Orlando Sentinel (Oct. 20, 2007) reported, "The draft standards are based on those used in other countries with top science-education programs and the recommendations of national education and science groups. They reduce the number of topics students are taught and push for a deeper understanding of key 'big ideas,' one of which is 'evolution and diversity.'" Joe Wolf, the president of Florida Citizens for Science, told the newspaper that if the standards were adopted as they stand, "the kids will have a better understanding of science, which is what it's all about."

There was a sixty-day period during which the public was welcome to comment on the standards, following which the Florida Board of Education would then consider whether to adopt the draft. At this point it was already clear that creationists were ready to try to undermine the treatment of evolution in the standards; the Sentinel quoted a local televangelist as contending, "Evolution is an educated guess ... That we came from an ape is absolutely ridiculous." But Florida Citizens for Science's Wolf countered, "In the scientific community, it's not an issue."

Creationist pressure mounting

As Florida continued to consider the draft of a new set of state science standards, there were reports about mounting creationist lobbying against the inclusion of evolution and for the inclusion of creationism. Writing in the Miami Herald (Dec. 9, 2007), Fred Grimm summarized: "For the past 11 years, the biology curriculum in Florida schools has ignored the one great organizing principle of biological science. Darwin's theory was blackballed ... If not exactly storming into the 21st century, at least the new standards signal that we're, well, evolving intellectually. Or so it seemed until last week, when board member Donna Callaway, a former middle school principal from Leon County, said she opposed this Godless evolution stuff."

According to the St. Petersburg Times (Dec. 6, 2007), Callaway, a member of the state board of education, told a Baptist newspaper that she planned to vote against the standards, saying that evolution "should not be taught to the exclusion of other theories of origins of life" and expressing her hope for prayers over the issue: "I want God to be part of this." The newspaper was unable to obtain comment from most of the rest of the members of the state board of education; Roberto Martinez, however, said that he favored the standards, commenting, "I respect the people who have beliefs in creationism and intelligent design, but I do not believe it should be included as part of the science standards."

A later report on the Times's education blog (Dec. 11, 2007) described board member Linda Taylor as "generally supportive of the 'choices' philosophy, so long as it falls within what the state can do legally." She was quoted as saying, "With the evolution, there's a bigger topic called theories of origin. I think kids should have the opportunity to compare different theories ... If we are focused on evolution I am OK with that. But they should at least know there are other theories out there and that they could themselves compare them or that they be presented to them. I would support teaching evolution, but with all its warts. I think that some of the facts have been questioned by evolutionists themselves. I would want them taught as theories."

A scant two days later after its report on Callaway, the St. Petersburg Times (Dec. 8, 2007) revealed that there was opposition to the treatment of evolution in the draft standards within the state department of education itself: "Selena 'Charlie' Carraway, program manager for the department's Office of Instructional Materials, recently used her personal e-mail on personal time to send a missive urging fellow Christians to fight the proposal to include evolution as a "key idea" in the science curriculum. But she invoked her position as a way to, in her words, 'give this e-mail credibility.' And that, it turns out, is a no-no." A spokesperson for the department told the newspaper, "It is inappropriate for any department employee to use their public position to advocate their personal positions."

Carraway was "counseled" by the human resources department and warned not to abuse her position again. NCSE's executive director Eugenie C. Scott commented, "Now she has a second chance, and hopefully she'll behave more responsibly," and Florida Citizens for Science's Joe Wolf concurred, saying, "I think she's allowing her religious beliefs to interfere with her public duty," adding, "I wish she hadn't done it. But I think it's an internal matter." A forceful editiorial in the St. Petersburg Times (Dec. 10, 2007) disagreed, contending, "Firing would be more in order" for Carraway, and calling on Donna Callaway to resign from her position on the state board of education.

In addition to the individual statements of Callaway and Carraway, the St. Petersburg Times reported that Focus on the Family was rallying its supporters to weigh in ("to include intelligent design in science classes"); that a state representative who is likely to become Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives in 2011, Will Weatherford (R-Wesley Chapel), expressed reluctance at the idea of presenting evolution "from just one perspective"; and that "[t]he Polk County School Board has stated it might allow alternatives to evolution to be in its schools," referring to earlier reports (such as the Lakeland Ledger's story from Nov. 20, 2007) that a majority of its members support teaching "intelligent design" in addition to evolution.

In response to the mounting creationist pressure on the board, Florida Citizens for Science launched its All I Want for Christmas is a Good Science Education campaign, calling on supporters of the integrity of science education to send holiday cards to the members of the Florida state board of education: "This project will demonstrate that there are as many, if not more, people in Florida who support good science education as there are people against it. We want to tell them that we don't want our state to become the laughingstock of the nation like other states were in past years when confronted with similar situations."

The period of public comment on the draft science standards expired on Dec. 14, 2007. The Florida Department of Education, Office of Mathematics and Science, reported that more than 10,000 people had offered 20,993 comments.

Antievolution resolutions spread

At least 11 county school boards in northern Florida adopted resolutions calling for the state board of education "to revise the new Sunshine State Standards for Science such that evolution is not presented as fact, but as one of several theories."

County school boards in Baker, Clay, Hamilton, Holmes, Jackson, Lafayette, Madison, Nassau, St. Johns, Taylor, and Washington counties adopted virtually identical resolutions opposing the improvement. A Florida Citizens for Science blog post kept track of the resolutions along with other antievolution efforts (post is here). Wired Science's Brandon Keim reports (Jan. 22, 2008), "So far, not a single superintendent from those ... school boards has been available for comment. At least Willard Fair, chairman of the state Board of Education, ... was willing to get on the phone and say that he had no comment whatsoever."

Reporters in Florida were luckier in securing comment from supporters of the resolutions, however. The Jacksonville Times-Union (Jan. 17, 2008) reported, "Some school superintendents say the resolutions reflect the religious nature of their constituents in Northeast Florida," quoting Baker County Superintendent Paula Barton as saying, "To be honest with you, we are a strong Christian community here," and reporting Nassau County Superintendent John Ruis as describing himself as a strong believer in biblical creationism.

Similarly, according to the St. Petersburg Times (Jan. 24, 2008), Dixie County school superintendent Dennis Bennett explained, "We just wanted to get it on the record that we're a Judeo-Christian community and we believe in academic freedom," and Ken Hall, a school board member in Madison County, commented, "We're not asking that evolution not be taught, just that it be taught as a theory, one of several. I'm a Christian. And I believe I was created by God, and that I didn't come from an amoeba or a monkey."

On the positive side, though, Highlands county considered an antievolution resolution, but a strong showing at the school board meeting by local residents against the resolution prompted the board to drop the matter. Monroe county was the only one known to pass a resolution in favor of the proposed new science standards; and Volusia county school board members didn't pass a resolution, but went on the record with a local newspaper in favor of the standards.

Evolution under siege

As the Florida state board of education prepared to consider a final draft of a new set of state science standards, Floridians offered their opinions at a last-minute public hearing held in Orlando on Feb. 11, 2008. More than eighty speakers addressed the state commissioner of education, Eric Smith, and, via webcast, the board. As the Orlando Sentinel (Feb. 12, 2008) reported, "They came from one end of Florida to the other, and with views on evolution as far apart as the 800 miles that separate the Keys from the Panhandle." Observers estimated that there were about twice as many speakers opposing the treatment of evolution in the new standards as there were speakers who applauded it.

There were some bizarre claims about science: the St. Petersburg Times (Feb. 12, 2008) reported that a speaker "held up an orange and said that because of evolution, he now had irrefutable evidence that an orange was 'the first cousin to somebody's pet cat' and 'related to human beings'" -- and about the supposed moral consequences of teaching evolution, with Darwin compared with Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Tse-tung. The Orlando Sentinel summarized, "Some speakers said they wanted creationism or intelligent design taught, while others said they just wanted what they called weaknesses in the theory of evolution talked about, too."

Responding to the creationist complaints were a number of scientists, educators, and citizens from across the state. Joe Wolf, president of Florida Citizens for Science, presented a petition signed by more than 1500 supporters of the standards, describing evolution as "the central organizing concept that allows us to understand all biological sciences from medicine to forestry to entomology, and its principles are the theoretical basis that underlies major advances in all biological fields" and calling on the board to accept the final draft.

A majority of the writing committee itself urged the board to adopt the new set of standards, in a statement read by Gerry Meisels, professor of chemistry at the University of South Florida and a member of the science standards writing committee. Meisels was quoted by the Associated Press (Feb. 11, 2008) as saying, "We are frustrated by the disproportionate publicity and the political pressure that has been brought to bear on decision makers. Yielding to these pressures would be a real disservice to Florida because it would not only seriously impede the education of our children but also create the image of a backward state."

Debra Walker, an archaeologist who serves on the Monroe County School Board and served on the writing committee, also urged the board to accept the new set of standards without tinkering. According to the Orlando Sentinel, Walker "said the current 'political meltdown over Darwinian theory' was proof that too many people had received a poor-quality science education. She noted that the school districts with some of the lowest science scores on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test were the ones complaining loudest about the new standards. 'Do we want these boards setting science policy in Florida? I think not.'"

Creationists continued to lobby the board to compromise the treatment of evolution. John Stemberger, president and general counsel for Florida Family Policy Council, told the Lakeland Ledger that critics of the standards are angry at not having a further chance to speak to the board directly: "We will lobby the commissioner and governor until we get our 15 minutes each before the board." According to the St. Petersburg Times, "The groups promised to bombard Gov. Charlie Crist and other state officials with thousands of requests until the board says okay."

In addition to the petition organized by Florida Citizens for Science, Americans United for Separation of Church and State sent a letter encouraging the board to resist efforts to undermine the treatment of evolution in the standards. And the American Institute for Biological Sciences followed suit, telling the board, "The biologists and science educators represented by AIBS, and the scientific community as a whole, agree that there is no research supporting either creationism or 'intelligent design' or challenging the importance of evolution for explaining the history and diversity of life."

The Standards are approved ... with edits.

The Florida state board of education voted 4-3 at its February 19, 2008, meeting to adopt a new set of state science standards in which evolution is presented as a "fundamental concept underlying all of biology." However, the adopted standards differ from those developed by the writing committee -- composed of experts in the fields of science and science education -- in adding the phrase "the scientific theory of" before mentions of plate tectonics, cell theory, atomic theory, electromagnetism, and evolution.

After the last-miunte public hearing in Orlando, the Florida department of education developed a new version of the standards, seeking to label scientific theories (including evolution) as such. The Orlando Sentinel (Feb. 16, 2008) suggested, "By adding the word theory, which many opponents of the standards had argued for, the new version may appease those who do not view evolution as a scientific fact or those whose religious beliefs are in conflict with evolution."

A spokesperson for the department told the Sentinel (Feb. 16, 2008) that the new version was vetted by the writing committee, but a later report in the Sentinel (Feb. 17, 2008) suggested that a majority of the committee opposed the changes, quoting Debra Walker (who also serves on the Monroe County School Board) as saying, "There is no scientifically sound reason to make these changes" and Gerry Meisels (a professor of chemistry at the University of South Florida) as describing them as "clumsy."

The novelist and columnist Carl Hiassen provided comic relief, writing in the Miami Herald (Feb. 17, 2008), "By accepting evolution as a proven science, our top educators would be sending a loud message to the rest of the nation: Stop making fun of us. Is that what we really want?" and concluding, "there's no sin in being a slightly backward state with extremely modest expectations for its young people. ... We've worked hard to keep ourselves so far behind in education, and we must stay the course."

Before approving the modified standards on February 19, the Florida Board of Education first heard from twenty speakers, each given three minutes, alternating between supporters and opponents of the standards. Among the supporters were Jonathan Smith of Florida Citizens for Science, Debra Walker and Gerry Meisels from the writing committee, Joseph Travis (the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Florida State University), and Nobel laureate Sir Harold Kroto, who also expressed his views in his op-ed for the Ft. Myers News-Press (Feb. 16, 2008).

During a lively debate lasting about 60 minutes, board member Donna Callaway proposed a so-called "academic freedom" amendment to the standards to counter what she described as the "dogmatic" tone of the standards with respect to evolution. The Miami Herald (Feb. 19, 2008) reported, "The amendment would have given teachers the explicit permission 'to engage students in a critical analysis of that evidence.'" She was unable to obtain a second to her motion, however.

Ultimately, a motion to adopt the new version of the standards, with "scientific theory" inserted, was adopted by the 4-3 vote. Joining Callaway in voting against the standards were Akshay Desai and Roberto Martinez, although for very different reasons. Martinez in particular fiercely defended the standards as originally drafted, brandishing a letter from the National Academy of Sciences endorsing the writing committee's version, and asking pointed questions about the development of the new version.

Martinez was quoted by the Associated Press (Feb. 19, 2008) as lamenting, "What we have here is an effort by people to water down our standards." To judge from the reaction of creationists, however, even the new version of the standards was too much. The Associated Press also reported that the Florida Family Policy Council, disappointed in the board's vote, plans to seek legislation to ensure "academic freedom" with respect to evolution.

Asked for comment about the board's vote by Education Week (Feb. 19, 2008), Florida Citizens for Science's Brandon Haught answered, "The standards, as approved, are a huge step forward for our Florida schools ... They're light years ahead of what's been used in the state." And National Center for Science Educations's Josh Rosenau agreed, saying, "the basic content of the standards is still good," and adding, "This is a win for science overall."

Antievolution legislation

Florida's new science standards were approved, but the evolution war was far from over.

Senate Bill 2692 was introduced in the Florida State Senate on Feb. 29, 2008, under the rubric of "The Academic Freedom Act," by Ronda Storms (R-District 10). The bill purports to protect the right of teachers to "objectively present scientific information relevant to the full range of scientific views regarding biological and chemical evolution in connection with teaching any prescribed curriculum regarding chemical or biological origins" and the right of students not to be "penalized in any way because he or she subscribes to a particular position or view regarding biological or chemical evolution." Presumably attempting to avert the charge that it would violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, the bill also specifies that its provisions "shall not be construed to promote any religious doctrine, promote discrimination for or against a particular set of religious beliefs, or promote discrimination for or against religion or nonreligion."

Although the bill explicitly states, "The provisions of this section do not require or encourage any change in the state curriculum standards for the K-12 public school system," SB 2692 was introduced to satisfy the demands of Florida creationists disappointed by the state board of education's Feb. 19, 2008, vote to adopt a new set of state science standards in which evolution is presented as a "fundamental concept underlying all of biology."

Second antievolution bill filed

House Bill 1483 was introduced in the Florida House of Representatives on March 4, 2008, by D. Alan Hays (R-District 25). The bill is identical to Senate Bill 2692.

The Tampa Tribune (March 4, 2008) reported that although the chair of the Senate Committee on Education Pre-K-12 hopes to schedule a hearing on SB 2692, "the plan faces plenty of resistance from lawmakers in both parties, who say they are loath to rewrite the teaching standards that the state Board of Education passed last month." Senate Minority Leader Steve Geller (D-District 31) was quoted as saying, "I never thought I'd be in the Florida Senate in the 21st century, still having the same debate about evolution," adding, "I don't care if they say this is 'science,' ... You may find a few quack scientists who say it is, but it isn't." The Tribune (March 4, 2008) also editorially denounced the bill, writing, "If Florida lawmakers really want world-class curriculum, they'll let education experts -- not politicians -- build them."

Florida Citizens for Science discovered on March 7, 2008 that Rep. Hays had invited his fellow lawmakers to a screening of the movie Expelled, which the e-mail invite says is a movie that "follows Ben Stein on his journey around the globe where he discovers that scientists, educators and philosophers are being persecuted because they dare to go against the theory of evolution." The screening is scheduled for the evening of March 12, 2008 at the Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee.

Stay tuned to the Florida Citizens for Science blog (link) for the latest developments in this continuing saga.

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Other Projects

Over the years there have been at least three Florida school board election campaigns that mentioned opposition to evolution in some way. Here in Florida we do have anti-science groups that are getting bolder in their public relations campaigns to undermine science. An event in southern Florida in the fall of 2006 brought in big names from out of state to spread their misinformation. We've also seen controversies over science textbooks crop up on occasion.