A political nonprofit has filed a petition with the state alleging that creationists on the State Board of Education are planning to adopt textbooks that discount the theory of evolution.
Creationists believe that everything on Earth and in the universe was created by a supreme being.
Every ten years the Texas State Board of Education adopts new textbooks, a process that begins with a review team that judges each book based on curriculum standards.
Dan Quinn with the Texas Freedom Network said much of that review board is made up of creationists that discount evolution.
"It’s important that public schools teach kids 21st century science that prepares them to succeed in college and to succeed in the jobs in our modern era," Quinn said. "We don’t need 18th century science being taught in 21st century classrooms."
Quinn and the Texas Freedom Network want clarity on who is in charge of picking these textbooks, their input, and what changes publishers made in how the theory of evolution is presented to students.
"A number of the reviewers that were appointed to these panels are among the most prominent evolution critics in the country," Quinn said. "These are folks who have made a living, essentially, arguing that evolution is a lie."
By Texas Freedom Network's count, four of the 28 reviewers are well-known, published creationists. One of those being Walter Bradley, a professor from Baylor University who wrote the book launching the intelligent design movement.
The review has submitted its edits and changes to publishers, the State Board of Education will unveil those changes at a public hearing scheduled for late Sept. The board will finalize it's picks for next year’s science textbooks in Nov.
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