{"id":3494,"date":"2019-07-31T20:49:44","date_gmt":"2019-08-01T00:49:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=3494"},"modified":"2019-07-31T20:49:51","modified_gmt":"2019-08-01T00:49:51","slug":"new-florida-board-of-education-chair-i-wont-support-any-evolution-being-taught-as-fact-at-all-in-any-of-our-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=3494","title":{"rendered":"New Florida Board of Education Chair: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t support any evolution being taught as fact at all in any of our schools.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Florida has a new Board of Education chairman: Andy Tuck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the state science standards were rewritten in 2008, Tuck was vice chairman of the Highlands County school board. Several school boards passed resolutions opposing the inclusion of evolution in the new standards. Highlands seriously considered a resolution but eventually backed down. But Tuck did say this<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

School Board Vice Chairman Andy Tuck said Thursday, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153as a person of faith, I strongly oppose any study of evolution as fact at all. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m purely in favor of it staying a theory and only a theory.<\/p>

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t support any evolution being taught as fact at all in any of our schools.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Then in 2014 Tuck was appointed the state board of education. Reporters recalled his earlier stance on evolution and so decided to follow up with him now that he was at the state level. This is what he said<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not an evangelical right-winger,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he told me. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not trying to get religion in schools.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>

[\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6]<\/p>

Tuck said his problem is that scientists can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t say for certain how the universe began.<\/p>

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I guess the thing I struggle with is you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re teaching evolution to fifth-graders and you get done and one says, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcWhere did it start?’\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153And you say what?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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As I said back in 2014: Keep in mind that the creationist tactic (I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not calling Tuck a creationist, but rather referring to the general tactic used by today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s creationists) is to find some way to cast doubt on evolution in the classroom. Decades of legal losses whenever creationists have tried to outlaw evolution instruction or insert blatant creationism into the curriculum have forced them to clean up their overtly religious language. Now they want to allow teachers to spend time on \u00e2\u20ac\u0153other theories\u00e2\u20ac\u009d while declining to be more specific about those other theories that teachers might bring up are. They want to force a bogus disclaimer into evolution lessons that there are \u00e2\u20ac\u0153strengths and weaknesses\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to the theory. These are the kinds of moves Florida Citizens for Science faced in 2008 when a state Board of Education member and some lawmakers in the state legislature tried tinkering with the state science standards. So, we can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel safe and comfortable when someone says \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not trying to get religion in schools.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d We heard that over and over again in 2008.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reason why I bring this up is because he’s now in an even more elevated position at a time fraught with worrying changes happening to our state education system. This summary from the Tampa Bay Times highlights why I’m concerned<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The board is closely aligned to the Governor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Office, and is taking a key role in overseeing actions including a standards review that Gov. Ron DeSantis has demanded. It appointed Corcoran \u00e2\u20ac\u201d DeSantis\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 choice for commissioner \u00e2\u20ac\u201d without considering other options and is seen as a strong ally in pursuing the governor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s education agenda, which has focused on expanding vouchers, charter schools and other choice options in addition to pushing for improved outcomes in district schools.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Do you think we should be worried?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Florida has a new Board of Education chairman: Andy Tuck. When the state science standards were rewritten in 2008, Tuck was vice chairman of the Highlands County school board. Several school boards passed resolutions opposing the inclusion of evolution in … 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":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcZNLl-Um","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1995,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=1995","url_meta":{"origin":3494,"position":0},"title":"New State Board of Education Member: no evolution","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"January 30, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"This week our governor appointed a new member to the state Board of Education: Gov. Rick Scott has made his next pick for the state Board of Education: citrus grower and former Highlands County School Board Chairman Andy Tuck. We have a problem. Back in 2008 Mr. Tuck said this:\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 19 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 19 comments","link":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=1995#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":408,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=408","url_meta":{"origin":3494,"position":1},"title":"Heads-up: Anti-evolution heads south to Highlands County","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"January 25, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"The Tampa Tribune (Highlands Today) reports that Highlands County school board members need to learn their science. This is the first county that's not in north Florida to have this discussion. They haven't done a resolution yet, but they want to: SEBRING \u00e2\u20ac\u201d Four of five members of the School\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":2023,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=2023","url_meta":{"origin":3494,"position":2},"title":"Folks worried about Tuck","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"February 16, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Two letters to the editor were printed in today's Daytona Beach News Journal about the appointment of Andy Tuck to the Florida Board of Education. First one: Religion, not science Should Gov. Rick Scott\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s appointment of Andy Tuck, who so virulently opposes the teaching of evolution in our state\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s schools,\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2004,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=2004","url_meta":{"origin":3494,"position":3},"title":"“I’m not trying to get religion in schools”","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"February 4, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Orlando Sentinel columnist Beth Kassab takes a firm stance for science education and against creationism in today's piece: Why are we still debating evolution in education? Florida Citizens for Science gets a mention at the end! I called [new Florida Board of Education member Andy] Tuck to find out where\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 1 comment","block_context":{"text":"With 1 comment","link":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=2004#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3506,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=3506","url_meta":{"origin":3494,"position":4},"title":"Florida Evolution vs. Creationism Timeline","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"January 29, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The need to defend science education in Florida is truly never ending. I chronicled the many skirmishes, battles and wars fought over the teaching of evolution in my book Going Ape: Florida's Battles over Evolution in the Classroom. The Florida anti-evolution efforts I wrote about started in the 1920s and\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":352,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=352","url_meta":{"origin":3494,"position":5},"title":"Those not in favor of good science education, raise your hand.","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"February 15, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"[I will bump this post up about once a week so as to always be on the front page. Latest bump: Feb. 15.] For your convenience, here is a list of the 12 counties that passed anti-evolution resolutions: Clay, Jackson, Baker, Hamilton, Holmes, St. Johns, Taylor, Madison, Lafayette, Nassau, Washington,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Alert"","block_context":{"text":"Alert","link":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?cat=6"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3494"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3494"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3494\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3499,"href":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3494\/revisions\/3499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3494"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3494"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3494"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}