{"id":2813,"date":"2017-07-09T17:28:02","date_gmt":"2017-07-09T21:28:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.flascience.org\/wp\/?p=2813"},"modified":"2017-07-09T17:28:02","modified_gmt":"2017-07-09T21:28:02","slug":"its-such-a-joke-its-like-what-is-this-1940","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=2813","title":{"rendered":"\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s such a joke. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like, what is this, 1940?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d"},"content":{"rendered":"

There’s quite a bit to discuss today, so let’s get right to it.<\/p>\n

There are a lot of links in this post to various news articles and opinion pieces. If you only click on one link, though, then click on this one. This is a thorough news piece in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune:\u00c2\u00a0New law expected to prompt more school curricula challenges<\/a><\/p>\n

According to the law, the only qualification a hearing officer needs is that he or she \u00e2\u20ac\u0153may not be an employee or agent of the school district.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mind that any community member can bring forward a complaint; we listen to those a lot. But how many complaints do we have to hear about every library book that somebody doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Charlie Kennedy, chairman of the Manatee County School Board and a former teacher and coach at Manatee High School. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to be coming after Harry Potter because of witchcraft \u00e2\u20ac\u201d it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a Pandora\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s box that nobody thought about.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just another unfunded mandate from Tallahassee whipped up by anti-science people. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to waste so much time, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s embarrassing.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Many other news articles and opinion pieces I’ve read got the hearing officer part of this law wrong. They incorrectly state that the hearing officer makes the final decision. The Herald-Tribune got it right, though. The hearing officer just makes a recommendation to the school board, which then makes the final decision.<\/p>\n

Here’s an important segment of the news story that we need to be mindful of going forward in our dealings with\u00c2\u00a0this law. Can you spot what I’m referring to?<\/p>\n

The legislation was sponsored by state Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Naples, whose Collier County constituents include a four-year-old group of activists called the Florida Citizens\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Alliance (FLCA). On its website, the FLCA lists six categories where it has identified \u00e2\u20ac\u0153specific objectionable materials\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in public schools: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153English language arts, pornography, reconstructed history and advanced placement US history, religious indoctrination, political indoctrination, and Common Core math methodologies.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

FLCA co-founder Rick Stevens, pastor at Diplomat Wesleyan Church in Cape Coral, says objections to the new law based on fears of triggering anti-science zealotry are red herrings.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m always amused that this climate change stuff comes up. Because that wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t us and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been involved in this since the beginning of our initiative. We have never advocated for specific things so much as we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve said there is a flaw in the process,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153And what we take issue with the most is the inability of parents in Florida to be heard about their concerns.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"liar\"<\/a>I can’t believe the reporter let Stevens get away with this. Stevens flat out told a whopper of a lie. “Because that wasn’t us …” Really? You can read all of the proof that he’s lying for yourself in my long, detailed post outlining the history of this law<\/a>. For specifics, scroll down in that post to the section “Why does Florida Citizens for Science care about this bill?” As we fight back against the Alliance, we need to loudly and forcefully shine a bright spotlight on this lie.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, there are other folks out there who see this law for what it is:<\/p>\n

Kennedy, the Manatee School Board chairman, said all he can do now is wait for the Florida Department of Education to write rules that comply with the statute.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153So we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got a couple of people in Collier County who think climate change is a myth and they turn it into a statewide issue,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s such a joke. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like, what is this, 1940?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

OK, let’s lighten the mood here with a few humorous columns.<\/p>\n

Word of our horrible new instructional materials law has reached North Carolina. Columnist Scott Hollifield feels left out of our textbook challenging game:\u00c2\u00a0Demanding our say in Florida education<\/a><\/p>\n

I agree with the Florida Citizens for Science that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a bad law, but only for this reason: It does not go far enough. Let me repeat the last part in capital letters adding exclamation points, which is what nut jobs — er, I mean concerned citizens — do when they are making a point. Also, I am standing on a soapbox and shaking my fist angrily while I type this, which is difficult but not impossible.<\/p>\n

IT DOES NOT GO FAR ENOUGH!!<\/p>\n

If people who do not have kids in schools in Florida can complain about what kids are taught in schools in Florida, why can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t anyone who has ever been to Florida complain about what kids are taught in schools in Florida?<\/p>\n

It only seems fair, if not wildly ridiculous like the new law itself.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Meanwhile, back here in Florida, TC Palm columnist Gil Smart takes a turn at slamming the instructional materials law:\u00c2\u00a0Don’t like a school’s curriculum? Now you can challenge it<\/a><\/p>\n

Yes, the new law might spark challenges to evolution and climate change.<\/p>\n

But the challenges won’t be limited to science; the law permits any resident to challenge anything.<\/p>\n

And some school officials are bracing for the deluge.<\/p>\n

“This is a way for people to completely halt the progress of schools,” said Tina McSoley, who chairs the Martin County School Board and is a member of the Florida School Boards Association’s Legislative Committee. “They can come in and say, ‘No more Tom Sawyer’ because they don’t like the use of curse words.”<\/p>\n

History, civics, English language arts \u00e2\u20ac\u201d it could all be up for grabs in every district, McSoley said, depending on the complaints and how the hearing officers decide.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And yet another columnist, Tom Lyons of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, focuses on one of the most troubling aspects of the new law:\u00c2\u00a0The unbiased hearing officer will hear your nutty complaint now, sir<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The thing is, the notion that anyone chosen for that role could be unbiased is absurd. To find someone without opinions on such matters we would pretty much have to find someone who is dysfunctionally oblivious.<\/p>\n

The hearing officers will only make recommendations to school boards. The governor and our lawmakers have not yet gone totally nuts and handed all power to this imagined, unbiased decider. But the idea that every gripe no matter how silly about any sentence in any textbook deserves a hearing is, at best, incredibly cumbersome.<\/p>\n

I should not complain. This will no doubt create column fodder by providing lots of chances for people to argue.<\/p>\n

Those who think their preferred religious text is the only book anyone really needs, and who insist the earth is 6,000 years old and that a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Flintstones\u00e2\u20ac\u009d cartoon is more accurate than a public school biology text book, will inspire reactions from amused to outraged. As a columnist, I should be delighted.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And the final link for today is to the\u00c2\u00a0Orlando Sentinel. They do a quick rundown of several of this year’s new laws affecting education:\u00c2\u00a0Florida gets new school rules on testing, books, bonuses<\/a><\/p>\n

Books<\/strong><\/p>\n

Residents \u00e2\u20ac\u201d and not just parents \u00e2\u20ac\u201d who dislike books, textbooks or other \u00e2\u20ac\u0153instructional materials\u00e2\u20ac\u009d used in public schools should find it easier to challenge those items.<\/p>\n

Backers say the measure will give those who find certain books inappropriate a better way to voice their objections. Critics say the new law could lead to censorship of important literary works or hurt science education, by opening the door to challenges to controversial topics, such as evolution.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Unfortunately, the devious Instructional Materials bill, which creationists and climate change deniers absolutely love, is now signed into law,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d wrote Brandon Haught, a Volusia County biology teacher, on the Florida Citizens for Science blog.<\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

Religious expression<\/strong><\/p>\n

Students can express their religious views in classwork, in clothing and jewelry worn to school and by praying during free time under a new law.<\/p>\n

Critics say the measure was unnecessary as state and federal laws already guarantee such freedoms. Those who pushed the new \u00e2\u20ac\u0153religious liberties\u00e2\u20ac\u009d measure said students need the new protections because some school administrators fear allowing such expression because it will look like they are endorsing religion.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Students should not have to surrender their constitutional rights or their religious beliefs at the schoolhouse door. Neither should teachers, administrators or parents,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Sen. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, one of the bill\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sponsors, in a statement after it became law.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There’s quite a bit to discuss today, so let’s get right to it. There are a lot of links in this post to various news articles and opinion pieces. If you only click on one link, though, then click on … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcZNLl-Jn","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1000,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=1000","url_meta":{"origin":2813,"position":0},"title":"Florida\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Greatest Menace VII: Causing the Nation to Fall!","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"April 14, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"(This is the seventh part in the Florida\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Greatest Menace series. For an introduction to the series, go here.) \u00c2\u00a0Non-scientific theories The April 22, 1980 meeting of the Hillsborough County school board was a marathon one. The meetings the previous December paled in comparison to the flood of people wanting\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=1000#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":61,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=61","url_meta":{"origin":2813,"position":1},"title":"Darwin lives!","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"October 6, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Darwin the manatee that is. ST. AUGUSTINE, FL -- A male manatee, weighing half a ton, was released into the wild Friday in St. Johns County after a year long recovery from injury. ... Huey is a volunteer with Florida Fish and Wildlife. Almost exactly a year ago, Huey helped\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "In the News"","block_context":{"text":"In the News","link":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":643,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=643","url_meta":{"origin":2813,"position":2},"title":"Manatee County learning science","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"July 8, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"My hat is off to Manatee County for having teachers participate in a series of classes on ways to teach science! 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New tests could prevent thousands from graduating: The passing rate on Florida's new biology and geometry exams \u00e2\u20ac\u201d now must-pass tests for a high school diploma \u00e2\u20ac\u201d would be under 60 percent if a proposed scoring system\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":856,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=856","url_meta":{"origin":2813,"position":4},"title":"Science quickies","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"January 8, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Just some miscellaneous science news: > Mississippi is number two out of the gate in 2009 for antievolution nonsense. (Oklahoma was number one.) An act to require the state board of education to include certain language explaining that evolution is a theory in the inside front cover of certain pubilc\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 3 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 3 comments","link":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=856#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":922,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=922","url_meta":{"origin":2813,"position":5},"title":"Florida’s Greatest Menace V: Brainwashing Students","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"February 27, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"(This is the fifth part in the Florida\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Greatest Menace series. For an introduction to the series, go here.) A new leader Waging a battle against the teaching of evolution has but one requirement: a leader with a fire in the belly and time to devote to the cause. 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