Sued for teaching evolution- Florida secondary education bill

Reading the bill, I'm not sure that this really means that professors can be sued for teaching evolution, unless it was already possible for that to happen. I'm not a lawyer, but wouldn't one have to demonstrate that it would be appropriate to teach intelligent design in a biology classroom before they could sue?As a UF student, I feel that if this bill allows students to sue their teachers for telling them things they don't like, my education has been greatly devalued. I worry that degrees from colleges in Florida may become less valuable than those from other places.This message has been edited by Gary, 03-26-2005 01:06 AM

The general education requirements of UF can be found here: Page Not Found - Office of the University Registrar

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Natural Sciences ”Physical and Biological Sciences

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Courses in the natural sciences introduce students to the basic concepts of science and the scientific method and enhance awareness of scientific developments and their impact on society and the environment. This area provides students with an understanding of scientific terms, concepts and theories, and the ability to formulate empirically testable hypotheses derived from the study of physical processes and living things.

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9 hours of physical and biological sciences are required for all students. This usually translates to about three classes. Many students come to UF with a lot of college credit built up from high school, and may be exempt from all or part of any of these requirements. Also, some majors fulfill parts of the general education requirements as well - someone majoring in physics would have their physical and mathematical requirements covered.A popular class that satisifies part of this requirement is BSC 2008, Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior. However, there are a variety of other courses to pick from that satisfy the biological requirement - Genetics, Introduction to Biological Anthropology, Local Flora of North Florida, Bugs and People, Man's Food, and others. Many of these do focus somewhat on evolution but it might not be a primary part of the course.I would be against dropping the science requirements. I don't think anyone is harmed by learning something about the world around them and there are all sorts of classes for them to choose from if they don't like evolution. The idea behind having science requirements is that students who take these courses will become aquainted with the scientific method and the ways in which scientists have learned about the world in which we all live.

There was a new article in the Alligator about this:
http://www.alligator.org/pt2/050324freedom.php

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At the Tuesday hearing, an example Baxley cited of when students should be allowed to sue is when biology professors teach evolution as fact, failing to acknowledge Creationism.

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UF evolutionary geneticist Charles Baer said while he wouldn’t mark down students for not believing in evolution, they would still be expected to complete course work.

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If I was asking them to write a paper on one aspect of evolution, and they said they didn’t believe in evolution so they wouldn’t write a paper, they would be marked down, he said. If someone said, ‘I don’t believe in evolution, but if I did, this would be what I’d write,’ that would be OK. I’m not going to flunk someone for not believing in evolution.

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Baer said even if he knew he could be sued he would continue teaching the same way.

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Students should not be ridiculed in class, and in any context, it’s not appropriate, but some students may be touchier than others, Baer said. What seems as discussion to some people may seem inappropriate to others.

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