A bill that backers touted as a way to spark freewheeling public school classroom discussions on evolution has lost much of its punch, the leader of the group that first promoted the measure said.
Gene Mills, executive director of the Louisiana Family Forum, said he has only lukewarm support for the legislation after it was changed and approved on Thursday by the Senate Education Committee.
State Sen. Ben Nevers, D-Bogalusa and sponsor of the plan, denied that his proposal suffered a setback when a last-minute committee amendment was added.
“It didn’t change the intent of the bill,” Nevers said.
The legislation is Senate Bill 561. It next faces action in the full Senate.
The bill, which was initially sought by Mills’ group, originally called for steps to widen classroom discussions on biological evolution, global warming, human cloning and other topics.
Backers said such a law is needed because teachers are afraid to stray from what textbooks say about evolution and other science topics.
Critics contend it would inject biblical talks into public schools.
Moments before the Senate committee approved the bill, the panel adopted an amendment suggested by opponents of the legislation.
It stripped references to evolution, global warming and other subjects from the proposal.
Instead, the proposed law calls for more general changes in science classes.
It now calls for state assistance so that students could pursue “critical thinking skills, logical analysis and open and objective discussions of scientific theories.”
(Here.)Labels: education, general
