Teachers Opt For Texts Without Intelligent Design
Don’t go looking for any mention of intelligent design in high school biology textbooks in Hillsborough County.
When science teachers voted to adopt new textbooks last week, they could have chosen a book that included a brief reference to the belief that life is so complex that some guiding intelligence must be behind it.
The teachers opted for a different book, though, one that doesn’t touch on intelligent design.
Nancy Marsh, high school science supervisor for the Hillsborough County School District, said teachers based their decision on which book would best meet state science standards and prepare students for the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.
That one potential textbook – “Biology: Dynamics of Life†published by Glencoe/McGraw-Hill – included a reference to intelligent design was irrelevant.
“That topic did not come up in any of our discussions,†Marsh said.
Science supervisors in Pasco and Pinellas counties don’t think intelligent design will become an issue for them either when they choose their science textbooks.
“We’re going to find the best books for Pasco County,†said Kim Davis, who oversees that district’s science curriculum. “I’m not foreseeing any issues.â€
