{"id":385,"date":"2008-01-13T14:49:35","date_gmt":"2008-01-13T19:49:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.flascience.org\/wp\/?p=385"},"modified":"2008-08-05T11:20:24","modified_gmt":"2008-08-05T15:20:24","slug":"new-chancellors-response-to-evolution-question","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=385","title":{"rendered":"New chancellor’s response to evolution question"},"content":{"rendered":"

New Florida K-12 chancellor Frances Haithcock was interviewed by the St. Petersburg Times education blog The Gradebook<\/a>. In the course of that interview, Haithcock was hit with the dreaded evolution question.<\/p>\n

I do have to ask you about the exciting debate over evolution and where you stand on that one, if you want to plunge in there.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well. Uh. (pause) I just talked to our science person the other day … to try to get an update on where we were. … They are compiling the information that came in. So I really want to look at that first before I make any definitive statement about it one way or the other.<\/p>\n

I am interested in whether you have taken any position. Your predecessor had taken some heat for her position on the issue of evolution and intelligent design and so forth. What do you think belongs in the curriculum?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well. No. 1, I really want to review the input before I take a position. But No. 2, I am more than excited that they took on these science standards to begin with. Because of all of the positive things that came out of Florida, one of the big negative things was the grade of the science standards. It’s unacceptable for a state to have that. There’s been a whole lot of hard work done on that. I did some reading on all of this before I came here as far as who comprised the committees and how much public input they were getting. I think they’ve done a really good job with that.<\/p>\n

As I understand it, from the initial review from a number of different outside sources, they feel like these standards are almost 100 percent improved from what they were. So there’s just so much more to the standards than just the one word, the “e word.” Before I really come out with any type of statement on that, I am going to review what is said by the people in Florida. And as I said, that is being compiled right now, so it won’t be a long period of time before we address that. And of course the science standards are going to the State Board on February the 19th. And there will be a vote by the board at that time that will tell everybody the answer on where they are with it….<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

First of all, when asked to take a position, the correct answer is that there is only one position: science belongs in the science classroom. Supposed “other theories” that have absolutely no basis in science should not be in the science classroom. Period. However, it is unfortunately understandable that not everyone (actually, hardly anyone) is comfortable speaking about science. So, I have to give Haithcock some credit for saying she wants to do some research, but I have to mark her down for wanting to go to the public comments for that research. Go to the subject matter experts, Ms. Haithcock, those people who actually worked on the standards and those organizations that provided professional input.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New Florida K-12 chancellor Frances Haithcock was interviewed by the St. Petersburg Times education blog The Gradebook. In the course of that interview, Haithcock was hit with the dreaded evolution question. I do have to ask you about the exciting … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","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":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcZNLl-6d","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":167,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=167","url_meta":{"origin":385,"position":0},"title":"Interview with Wesley Elsberry","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"February 25, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"I had written a college paper on the subject of introducing intelligent design into the public school classroom. For that paper I had to do some primary research, which involved either an interview with a subject expert or a survey. I opted for an interview and I chose Wesley Elsberry\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Analysis\/Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Analysis\/Commentary","link":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":494,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=494","url_meta":{"origin":385,"position":1},"title":"Just cruising for a lawsuit","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"March 6, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"The St. Petersburg Times has a good post on its education blog about the creationism bills (\u00e2\u20ac\u0153academic freedom act\u00e2\u20ac\u009d) filed in the state senate and house. The main question on the reporter\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mind is: what problem are these bills supposed to address? The reporter correctly notes that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the teachers\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Our Science Standards"","block_context":{"text":"Our Science Standards","link":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":417,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=417","url_meta":{"origin":385,"position":2},"title":"Article on Nassau County","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"February 1, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"I had already called a couple of days ago to confirm the Nassau County had in fact passed their anti-evolution resolution. But now their act is further confirmed in this news story. Board members voted unanimously Thursday to adopt the resolution recommended by Schools Superintendent John Ruis. The resolution opposes\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":3494,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=3494","url_meta":{"origin":385,"position":3},"title":"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","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"July 31, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"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 the new standards. Highlands seriously considered a resolution but eventually\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 75 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 75 comments","link":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=3494#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.flascience.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/theorywere.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1026,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=1026","url_meta":{"origin":385,"position":4},"title":"Alternative assignments question","author":"Brandon Haught","date":"May 4, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the best things about Florida Citizens for Science is the\u00c2\u00a0network of experienced professionals we have available. If you have a question, I have no doubt this network can come up with a helpful answer. For instance, last week I got a question via e-mail (all personal information removed):\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 1 comment","block_context":{"text":"With 1 comment","link":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=1026#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1000,"url":"https:\/\/www.flascience.org\/?p=1000","url_meta":{"origin":385,"position":5},"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. 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