Evolution Dominates Campaign in Pa. Town

DOVER, Pa. May 13, 2005 ? On opposite sides of town, two billboards for competing slates of school board candidates illustrate the deep divide here over the teaching of evolution and the origin of life.

One sign shouts, "It's time for a new school board in Dover!" The other describes the seven sitting board members as "the INTELLIGENT choice" a reference to the board's decision last fall to require the mention of "intelligent design" in class.

In what is believed to be a first in the United States, the school board voted 6-3 in October to require that ninth-grade students be told about intelligent design when they learn about evolution in biology class. Intelligent design holds that the universe is so complex, it must have been created by some kind of guiding force.

Tuesday's primary election promises to be a battle royal among 18 candidates evenly divided over the intelligent-design mandate in this 3,400-student school system about 20 miles from Harrisburg.

"We would have no interest this year if not for the intelligent-design issue. It is the overriding concern," said school board president Sheila Harkins, who is up for re-election.

The intelligent-policy is being challenged in a federal lawsuit scheduled to go to trial in September. The plaintiffs are eight families who claim that intelligent design is merely biblical creationism disguised in secular language, and has no place in a science classroom.

The school board has defended the intelligent-design mandate, saying it merely wants students to know about weaknesses in Charles Darwin's theory.

The controversy in Dover is among several recent battles over the teaching of evolution. Kansas' state education board is considering adding intelligent design to is science standards six years after it drew international ridicule for deleting most references to evolution. The references were restored in 2001.

Retired English teacher Sheila Webb, who opposes the intelligent-design policy, said she rescheduled a trip to Canada so that she could take part in the election.

"I'm staying home just to be able to make my vote count for the ones who should be seated," the 68-year-old Webb said.

Seven of the board's nine seats are open. The field of candidates includes two board members who resigned during the furor that followed the vote.

Another candidate, Bryan Rehm, is a plaintiff in the lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

"If you believe evolution is wrong, then so be it," Rehm said. But he said intelligent design should be discussed "somewhere else in a psychology, philosophy or world-cultures class."

But Melinda Jones, whose 12-year-old son is enrolled in the district, plans to vote for the current board. Jones, a private tutor, said intelligent design is not really being "taught" in class. "They're reading a statement about it," she said.

< It's like this: The side of science, evolution, etc. Is made up of theories based on every single piece of evidence ever gathered. The side of creationism, intelligent design, etc. is made up of "we don't know so we're going to make an answer out of that". Which is really the intelligent choice? We've always been on the side of science for that reason but now we feel compelled to be blatant about it. Creationists and their ilk (yes, this includes you Intelligent Design people, even if you say it doesn't), are fucking stupid. Did you get that? You wanna quote us? Let's say it again. Fucking Stupid! How in the hell can you go with a complete LACK of evidence, a neccesary admittance of ignorance as your cornerstone? You're beyond stupid. You're anti-smart.>