Category Archives: Instructional Materials bills ’17

Be informed. Be active.

There are two new laws here in Florida that will potentially impact science education in detrimental ways. I’m, of course, talking about the Instructional Materials law and the Religious Expression in Schools law. Florida Citizens for Science has been in … Continue reading

Posted in Instructional Materials bills '17, Religious Liberties Act 2017 | 2 Comments

The fight will now be won or lost where you live.

Unfortunately, the devious Instructional Materials bill, which creationists and climate change deniers absolutely love, is now signed into law by Governor Rick Scott. This means our fight is only just now beginning. Each and every one of us has to … Continue reading

Posted in Instructional Materials bills '17, Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Your last chance to stop bill loved by creationists is now!

This is it, ladies and gentlemen. You’ve been hearing about it from us for months now. The bill that would empower creationists, climate change deniers, anti-vaccine proponents, and other factual science education foes to challenge the textbooks and other instructional … Continue reading

Posted in Instructional Materials bills '17 | 32 Comments

Give the Devil his Due

All has been very quiet concerning the odious instructional materials bill lately. The bill would allow any resident, not just parents, to protest against what’s found in textbooks, including coverage of evolution, climate change, vaccines, etc. On top of that, … Continue reading

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And the next county on the terrible textbook tour is …

I’ve already pointed out that Collier County is the main hotbed of textbook unrest in Florida. That’s the home of Florida Citizens’ Alliance, the group that authored and supported the passage through our state legislature of the instructional materials bill … Continue reading

Posted in Instructional Materials bills '17, Textbooks | 2 Comments

Yes, there is hope

Most of my blog posts lately have been quite the downers as I report on bad bills approved by our legislature and the fallout we’re already starting to see around the state. But every now and then there are some … Continue reading

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Nature notes one bad bill; no one notices the other

The science journal Nature published an article about antiscience bills that have cropped up across America, with a special focus on our very own Sunshine State: Revamped ‘anti-science’ education bills in United States find success. The piece focuses on the instructional … Continue reading

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Textbook battles: a glimpse into the future

One of the most controversial issues in recent years when it comes to textbooks used in Florida schools is the coverage of religion in history books. The topic was the spark that started the whole instructional materials bills fiasco we’re … Continue reading

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