In today’s Marietta Daily Journal and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, it was reported that the Cobb County School District (one of the largest districts in Georgia) was in the process of removing stickers from more than 34,000 science textbooks that included the topic of evolutionary theory. The stickers were placed in the books some two years ago by the school board, and stated: “This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully, and critically considered.” The adhesive remover “un-du” was used along with a putty knife to remove the stickers! The stickers got on the books because of the efforts of a group of parents (claiming to be creationists) who pressured the school board by presenting a petition signed by several thousand residents of Cobb County. A small group of parents sued the district; in January 2005, a federal judge ruled that the stickers were an unconstitutional endorsement of religion, and ordered them removed. Amazingly, the school board has appealed the ruling. On a positive note, students were hired to remove the stickers, and are being paid $10 per hour. Total tab for the district: $25,000. Quite an episode in the evolution-creationist debate on the teaching of evolution in the public schools. For more information on the issue, you might visit The Panda’s Thumb, which is one of the Blogs that I’ve included on the Blogroll.
