School to foster evolution debate

Headed by self-described creationist John Rowe, the Melvindale-Northern Allen Park School Board on Monday adopted a proposal aimed to teach students the strengths and weaknesses of evolutionism.

Rowe said the idea isn't to dive into the creationism-evolution debate, but to tell students that evolution is a theory about the origin of human life, not scientific fact.

But to one observer, the district's move signaled a "veiled form of creationism science" that could breach the separation of church and state.

"Anti-evolutionists have come up with ways of getting creationism science into the classrooms without using the 'c' word," said Eugenie Scott, head of the California-based National Center for Science Education, a watchdog group.

"One of the manifestations of creationism is the idea that, 'Well, OK, we can't teach evolution and creation science, so we'll teach evolution and against evolution. Evidence against evolution is just a euphemism for creation science."

Evolution is based on Charles Darwin's explanation that humans evolved from lower life forms. Creationism is the belief that humans were created by a supernatural being - a theory that federal court rulings have banned public schools from teaching.

To Scott, who has tracked the Melvindale case since last November, the board's move Monday "is very similar to what we've run into in other parts of country - a veiled form of creationism science."

"It's an approach the creationists have been using the last two, three years - probably longer. The way you can test this is to ask them exactly what they want to teach, and the so-called arguments they'll present are exactly the same as what they used to call creation science."

The American Civil Liberties Union has taken notice, having pledged to legally challenge any decision to teach creationism. Kary Moss, head of the ACLU's Michigan chapter, said yesterday she was unaware of the board's move Monday but would request a copy of its proposal.

"We'll be right on it. It's on our radar screen," she said. "We are very concerned any time a public school begins to teach religious and secular education. The bottom line is they can teach, and they can't preach."

The district refused to release a copy of the resolution, referring all requests for details to Superintendent Donna Schmidt. She did not return several telephone messages yesterday and Monday.

Rowe said the resolution specifically states that creationism should not be taught in the classroom. It encourages science teachers to talk about all approaches to evolutionary theory.

"We're just having them try to emphasize that scientific theory is not necessarily a fact," he said. "There are people that agree with theories and there are people that don't agree with theories, and we should identify those facts. That's true science - showing both sides of an issue."

The resolution also states that students should have access to material that both disputes and supports evolution. Rowe said a four-member committee will examine available materials and recommend to the board which should be used within months.

Even so, Rowe has made it known he's an evolution skeptic. During a board meeting last November, he said the district should go back to teaching "good old basics - respect for our creator as well as our country."

Rowe has a University of Michigan master's degree in physics and directs radiology and nuclear medicine at Detroit's Saratoga Hospital. He has said he first began questioning evolution when he took Cub Scouts to an Ann Arbor science museum.

"They had the ooze and an amphibian crawling out of the ooze a part of the steps in evolutionary process," he said. "I thought that most of it was all contrived and not really scientific. Now, I'm convinced."

09-30-98