24 Mar 2011

Biology teacher in Illinois public high school caught promoting creationism to discredit evolution



Chicago Tribune   -  March 8, 2011

Libertyville High School science teacher cited creationism, officials confirm

'Steps have been taken' to assure the practice stops, school says


By Amy Alderman, Tribune reporter




Libertyville High School officials have confirmed that a teacher was referencing creationism in a science classroom, and said steps have been taken to ensure the religious views are eliminated from the curriculum.

Community High School District 128 administrators were responding to comments during a recent school board meeting, where Buffalo Grove-based activist Rob Sherman said he had been contacted by a student's older sibling. The student had complained that a biology and human genetics teacher, Beau Schaefer, had been promoting creationist beliefs and attempting to discredit evolution, Sherman said.

"A teacher is teaching that creationism and intelligent design is more relevant than evolution," Sherman said. "You cannot compare and contrast creationism and evolution in a public classroom. If the facts bear out that he is teaching this, I'm asking you to determine the appropriate response. Maybe you need to get someone else in there to 'un-teach' everything Mr. Schaefer has taught them."

Sherman, who is also working to garner support for a state law repealing the required moment of silence in public schools, said he raised the issue in District 128 out of the concern that young minds may be influenced by an authority figure.

"I am expressing grave concern and frustration that this is going on in a class," Sherman said. "There's a perception among students that it's OK if a teacher is doing something in a classroom."

Sherman contends that, for example, in a quiz supposedly assigned by Schaefer, some questions lead students to creationist beliefs, pushing them toward the notion that evolution is not scientific. That goes against the Illinois State Board of Education's 11th-grade science assessment framework, Sherman said.

On Tuesday, Libertyville High School administrators said they had spoken with Schaefer and determined that creationism was being taught in his classroom.

"The administration looked into the matter and found that one LHS science teacher was referencing creationism in a unit on evolution," said Mary Todoric, director of communications. "Steps have been taken to ensure that this teacher will no longer use creationism as part of his classroom instruction. Furthermore, the district has taken appropriate steps to ensure that all science teachers are not referencing or teaching creationism."

District 128 officials would not comment on whether there has been any disciplinary action.

Schaefer did not return several phone calls.

This article was found at:



RELATED ARTICLES ON THIS BLOG:




Teen tells hearing Louisiana Science Education Act is embarrassing, students deserve to be taught proper science


Louisiana school board wants believers to teach creationism in science classes, thinks it will solve discipline problem


Teaching evolution in science classrooms under attack in the US and UK by anti-science creationists


Creationists weaken U.S. education system, only a quarter of high school students adequately taught evolutionary biology


Ohio school district payed nearly a million dollars to fire science teacher who taught creationism


UK government insists it will not accept free school proposals from groups pushing creationist agenda over science


UK education reforms open door for untrained teachers in faith schools to indoctrinate children with creationism


Arkansas politician wants public schools to indoctrinate students with literal interpretation of the Bible


Children have a right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including the right to be free from religion


Philadelphia City Council votes to hold hearings on returning prayer to public schools in violation of constitution


Virginia school board takes down 10 Commandments posters to avoid lawsuit, students walk out in protest


Texas school board members injected their personal religious beliefs into social studies curriculum


Reactionary Christian fundamentalists take over Texas school board, rewrite history books to indoctrinate America's children


Nebraska education administrators get mixed messages from lawyers on legality of promoting religion in schools


Federal Court of Appeal asked to stop California college proselytizing and imposing religion on students


Advocacy group battles illegal Christian fundamentalist proselytizing in U.S. public schools


Fundamentalist Christian 'punk' band uses deception to evangelize and indoctrinate in U.S. schools


Radical Christian extremists aim to undermine public education by targeting high school kids for indoctrination into fundamentalist worldview


No comments:

Post a Comment