Legislative Issues

FASEB applauded the settlement of Selman v. Cobb County, in which the school board agreed not to put any stickers, labels or stamps on textbooks describing evolution as a theory, not fact.

FASEB joined 55 other scientific societies in submitting an Amicus brief in the U.S. District Court case Cobb County School District v. Selman, expressing the view that evolution is well-established science and that qualifying evolution as theory not fact is unnecessary and misleading.

FASEB has issued a letter in support of the Wisconsin Science Education Protection Act, a state bill that would require school boards to ensure that curriculum material presented as science is testable as a scientific hypothesis and is consistent with any description of science adopted by NAS.

The U.S. District Court in Kitzmiller v. Dover ruled that the Dover, Pa., school board could not mandate the criticism of evolution or the introduction of intelligent design into public schools.

The American Geological Institute offers an interactive map detailing state by state challenges to the teaching of evolution in the public classroom. The web site also offers a comprehensive list of documents and articles relating to the controversy of evolution vs. intelligent design.

National Center for Science Education tracks evolution-related legislation around the country. Click on your state to find out more.