Answers in Genesis: believing it. defending it. proclaiming it.

January 12, 2001

Hitting the ground running, the just-elected State Board of Education in Kansas USA demonstrated its eagerness to quickly abandon the state science curriculum that was approved in August 1999 and to replace it with new standards that would contain many more evolutionary concepts.

According to a January 10, 2001 Associated Press article that reported on the January 9 board meeting, the new members of the board—who were just sworn in that day—immediately signaled their support for revised science standards that will most likely be voted on at the next February 13–14 board meeting. A heavily pro-evolution science curriculum will undoubtedly be approved—if not in February, it will be soon after.

Compared to previous science standards, the current curriculum had only mildly de-emphasized the teaching of evolution in the public schools of Kansas. Nevertheless, the standards so enraged evolutionists that some went to the press in order to completely misinform the public about what had actually occurred.* In fact, in almost all the original mainstream press reports, it was wrongly declared that evolution had been removed from the Kansas science curriculum.

It was only until Answers in Genesis and other creationist organizations–who took the time to actually read the science standards–corrected the media that the press finally reported in follow-up stories that, indeed, evolution was still a part of the curriculum. Read August 1999 Web article.

The damage, however, had been done. A ‘backwards’ Kansas became fodder for late-night TV comics. And then in last November’s state election, embarrassed and misinformed Kansas voters removed two of the board members who had voted for the reasonable1999 standards (a third board member of this voting bloc moved out of state). Three newly elected members—who had vigorously campaigned to change the standards if elected—were sworn in January 9.

By the way, it would be impossible in Kansas to ban evolution from the science classrooms anyway.** The state standards are not mandatory for local school districts to follow—they are free to teach science in the way they wish. In fact, it is reported that many of the school districts just continued to teach evolution as fact as if nothing had happened; indeed, the only thing that really changed in Kansas was the blood pressure of its evolutionary zealots.

In the prairie state of Kansas, the evolutionists made hay, the generally anti-Christian (or at least gullible) press brought it to market, and the residents bought it. Some concerned Kansans are saying that they want to take it back and exchange it for the real thing–in the election year of 2004.

Following is a list of articles on this controversy in Kansas which have appeared on this website:

• AiG gives anti-creationists an ‘F-’ grade
• Kansas and evolution again in the news — state primary looms
• Evolutionary politics!
• Controversial Kansas school board member to run for re-election
• More fallout in Kansas
• Here's the scoop — what's really in the standards!
• Confusion in Kansas — evolution not outlawed!
• From the start, the fix was in
• Education Week needs educating!
• It’s time for TIME to get it right!
• Chopping out the ‘E-word?’
• Whose religion is central to evolution debate?

*Questions on evolution were omitted from statewide exams. This may have given license to some evolutionists to declare that evolution was being removed from Kansas’ schools when that really wasn’t the case at all: evolution remained in the state-approved curriculum.

**AiG does not advocate the banning of evolution in schools. After all, it is a dominant worldview that students continually encounter outside the classroom and so it should be studied. We do advocate, however, that evolution should be taught ‘warts and all,’ and that teachers should have the academic freedom—but often don’t—to expose students to the scientific problems with ‘molecules-to-man’ evolution.