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cials. After receiving the complaints,

kids to do this one." Hetler said about 5

Brooklyn schools superintendent Jeff

of North Dakota's 15 schools that offer

Lampert cancelled the assignment. By

debate had problems with the topic.

then, though, word of the assignment

Mandan School District superintendent

had gotten to the media, and it spurred

Kent Hjelmstad explained further, saying

days of intensive debate and news cover-

that he thought "the message is that you

age. Lampert was not happy that the

want the experience of an academic chal-

issue had blown up. "We didn't take this

lenge, but you don't need to have objec-

lightly," he said. "We are a partnership.

tionable discussions to get that chal-

If you have a concern, an issue, call me;

lenge." Other people were struck by

call someone in the district."172

debaters dodging such a heavily argued

subject. "It's unfathomable that we're not

going to allow some of the brightest,

Oklahoma

most articulate kids you can find have an

Intelligent Design

· A poll of Oklahomans released in mid-

intelligent discussion on intelligent

design," lamented Adam Burnside, the

February revealed a severely divided pop-

debate coach at Dilworth-Glyndon-

ulation when it comes to teaching intelli-

Felton, a Minnesota district that often

gent design. The SoonerPoll.com survey

competes with North Dakota schools.170

found that 48.5 percent of Oklahomans

supported teaching intelligent design in

science classes, while 35 percent opposed

Ohio

teaching it. Perhaps as a reflection of the

Intelligent Design

· Columbus--In 2002 the Ohio Board of

support for teaching intelligent design,

at least three bills allowing local districts

Education added a passage to state sci-

to teach it in science classes were wending

ence standards saying that students

their way through the state legislature at

should be able to "describe how scientists

the time the poll was released. In opposi-

continue to investigate and critically ana-

tion to what those bills would allow,

lyze aspects of evolutionary theory." That

however, one poll respondent clearly stat-

passage had been controversial ever since,

ed where he thought intelligent design

and in February the state school board

should be taught. "It's not a scientific

decided to delete it from Ohio's stan-

question," said Charles Van Boskirk.

dards. Board member Martha Wise

"You can teach it in religion class, but not

praised the move, saying, "it is deeply

in science."173

unfair to the children of this state to mis-

lead them about science." Supporters of

the deleted passage, however, were deter-

Oregon

mined to keep fighting. "We'll do this

Intelligent Design

· Salem--With intelligent design a hot issue

forever, I guess," said board member

Michael Cochran."171

all over the country, in September offi-

cials at the Oregon Department of

Education thought it best to reiterate

Freedom of Expression

· Brooklyn--In January, a teacher gave stu-

official policy: Creationism can be dis-

cussed in comparative religion or litera-

dents an assignment requiring them to

ture, but not science class. "It's a classic

research the internet porn industry, and

disconnect between science and religion,

relate their reactions to what they

and the state has no problem coming out

found. Several parents were upset about

on where schools should be," said

the assignment, however, feeling that it

Department of Education spokesman

was inappropriate for high school fresh-

Gene Evans. Not all Oregonians agreed.

men, and complained to school offi-

44