Choices for Florida Board of Education

The Florida Board of Education is scheduled to make a decision about the proposed evolution education standards at a meeting on Feb. 19. Here are some possible choices for the board:
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(1) -- reject all of the proposed evolution education standards. This is unlikely, as it would waste all of the effort made in creating and evaluating those standards.

(2) -- approve the standards as is. Questionable because the standards are so controversial.

(3) -- delete the most controversial part(s) of the evolution education standards, particularly the introduction: "Evolution and Diversity: A. Evolution is the fundamental concept underlying all of biology and is supported by multiple forms of scientific evidence. B. Organisms are classified based on their evolutionary history. C. Natural selection is the primary mechanism leading to evolutionary change." This is a strong possibility.

(4) -- add wording stating or suggesting that there are "other theories," as suggested by resolutions passed by some Florida county school boards. Unlikely because there is no good alternative scientific "theory, " though Darwinism itself is arguably a bad scientific theory. It is especially unlikely that the school board will add hot-button terms like "intelligent design."

(5) -- add mention of "weaknesses" of Darwinism. A strong possibility.

(6) -- call evolution a "theory." A strong possibility -- the legislature is threatening to do this if the board of education fails to do so.

(7) -- postpone action. A possibility, even though the board has already postponed action once, as I remember.
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