FFRF lays creationism plan to rest in Ohio school (Aug. 21, 2011)

The Springboro, Ohio School Board will no longer pursue a proposal by board members to teach creationism along with evolution. FFRF Senior Staff Attorney Rebecca Markert sent a letter Aug. 2 to board President Don Miller to object to the plan. “It is wildly inappropriate for the religious beliefs of a few board members to be pushed on a captive audience of public school students,” Markert wrote. “Such a practice alienates those teachers and students who practice other religious faiths, those who are nonreligious, and those who believe that science and religion are compatible.”

The Dayton Daily News had reported earlier comments by board member Kelly Kohls saying that “Creationism is a significant part of the history of this country. It is an absolutely valid theory, and to omit it means we are omitting part of the history of this country.” Kohls, who heads the Warren County Tea Party, was backed by Jo Ellen Myers, who like Kohls belongs to Educate Ohio, a statewide group of conservative school board members. “If they’re teaching the one, why not [both]?” Myers said. She said she believes in creationism but not evolution, because evolution is “based on a theory that can’t even be proven.”

The Daily News reported Aug. 21 that Kohls had changed her mind and was dropping her proposal. Along with FFRF, ACLU of Ohio had also objected.