Shocking news from Oregon

In a previous post, I mentioned that the NCSE site includes a news archive where you can see -- state-by-state -- where science education standards are under attack. I have been comforted to know that Oregon has its act together and isn't even listed in the NCSE "Select state of interest" drop-down menu. But on yesterday evening's News Hour on PBS, I was alarmed by a story suggesting that some school districts in Oregon may be opening their science classrooms to creationsim. Yikes!

The news segment called "Back to School" (Available in audio on the News Hour page on the PBS website) reports that Robert Smith, the superintendent of cash-strapped Myrtle Point school district, is desperate to get home-schooled kids back into public school. The video showed him "dealing" with parents to adjust the curriculum to meet their Christian requirements, suggesting he might be willing to add creationism to science classes.

This is a tiny school district, and they will likely bump up against state law, but according to the report, this kind of negotiation may be occurring in states where school funding is based on the number of students enrolled in public school.

Pay attention, folks. Do you really want to see elected officials prostituting education standards to shore up a weak budget?