Opening a can of worms

Maybe they have their hearts in the right place, but I think Florida lawmakers are opening a can of worms with new legislation that will allow “high performing” school districts to cut loose of many state controls. I can see the point of giving these school districts free reign because they “must be doing something right.” However, the point made about larger districts never being in the running for this honor is valid and outweighs the pros. And then there is this interesting point:

Allowing school districts to choose textbooks that are not on a state-approved list prompted fears. One lawmaker said the proposal would allow schools to buy science books espousing the theory of intelligent design, a teaching that credits the creation of the world to an intelligent being rather than evolution, while remaining silent on subjects such as the Holocaust or black history.

Backers said that was unlikely, however, because for schools to keep their “high performing” status, students must excel on the FCAT, which is aligned to the state’s curriculum standards, which do not include subjects such as intelligent design.

I wonder who that unnamed lawmaker is. It seems that he or she is wise to some things that go on out here in the real world, which is outstanding!

I don’t think a possible shoddy textbook is the most important reason to tank the legislation, but does bring up an interesting point. Consider the argument that only smaller school districts would get the proposed freedoms. I think that it would be much more likely that the smaller districts run the greater risk for taking things like intelligent design seriously. All it takes is some pressure applied by wily anti-science groups during a school board election to screw things up.