Parents for Objective Science and History vows to challenge and protest district practices.
Leaders of a Lawrence parent organization Tuesday vowed to challenge the district's insistence on teaching evolution in elementary schools and high schools.
Ellen Barber and Nancy Turner, representing Parents for Objective Science and History, also known as POSH, said the group this week would formally contest the district's practice of instructing kindergartners that dinosaurs walked Earth millions of years ago.
In several months, POSH intends to protest contents of the district's high school biology textbook.
"Evolution is currently taught as fact in the school district," Barber said. "None of the weaknesses are shown in the classroom. We're hoping to have a change in that."
POSH also has identified inaccuracies in the biology book, Barber said.
Turner said the organization wasn't advocating elimination of instruction in evolution. The purpose is a balanced presentation of thinking on the subject, she said.
"We ask that evolution be taught as theory," Turner said.
Nettie Collins-Hart, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, said the district's staff would process POSH's challenge.
"We'll look at it and then respond to it in writing," she said.
The action in Lawrence follows a vote in August by the Kansas State Board of Education to de-emphasize evolution on statewide science tests given to public school students. That vote spawned a torrent of criticism from throughout the world.
The Lawrence school board unanimously affirmed the practice of teaching evolution in public schools.
Turner informed the school board Monday night of POSH's intent to seek review of curriculum related to evolution.
On Tuesday, reaction to the plan was swift.
Leonard Krishtalka, director of the Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center at Kansas University, said it would be unwise for people to push aside collected evidence about dinosaurs, geology, astronomy and other adventures of science.
"My optimism is that curiosity and intelligence of children will always oppose the dumbing down of science," Krishtalka said.
"All of these things will have to be decided by the school board," said Lynda Allen, the district's science coordinator. "We're not into curriculum revision for kindergarten or high school biology."
Allen said the science unit for kindergartners cited by POSH was designed to inform children about extinct creatures. Students study five dinosaurs. The first page of a book accompanying the unit says dinosaurs lived millions of years ago.
Allen said controversy among adults about when dinosaurs resided on Earth wasn't an issue in kindergarten classes.
"Geologic time is not really appropriate for kindergartners," she said.
Turner said the curriculum protest would be sent to Allen; Collins-Hart; Supt. Kathleen Williams; and James Hilliard, school board president.
POSH was started in February after Barber was denied permission to speak at Pinckney School about her view that evolution should be regarded as theory. About 75 people have worked at one time or another on behalf of POSH. The group has a six-member steering committee.
In addition to focusing on curriculum issues in public schools, POSH strives to be an information source for teachers and parents on the origins of life. The group also works to broaden instruction in ways that allow students to develop critical thinking skills.
-- Tim Carpenter's phone message number is 832-7155. His e-mail address is tcarpenter@ljworld.com.
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