The ID Report

In the aftermath of the Kitzmiller decison in Dover, PA last December, many states and school boards are deciding whether they should move forward (and how) on this issue.

While some School Boards might seem a bit jumpy about it, I'll just put it out there that there are some competent legal minds who are ready and willing to jump into the fray and provide Pro Bono assistance in the right situation. This is a good thing for school boards that are concerned with any potential legal exposure they might have - consultation with informed legal counsel should be contemplated BEFORE moving forward on any curriculum recommendations about ID. While the media and opponents of ID are celebrating their alleged victory in Pennsylvania, I say they need to put the cork back in the bottle because the Dover case was just a trial run.

The opinion in Kitzmiller also has several serious flaws, not the least of which is that it charges ID is 'religious' but fails to define exactly what 'religious' is much less spell out precisely how ID is religious. Other school boards should not take the Kitzmiller ruling as a stop-sign for moving forward with plans to "teach the controversy" in public schools, but a learning experience.

The Kitzmiller decision was just the first round of what promises to be a string of continued tussles with school boards and our courts. As I scan the horizon of ID activity in the coming year, I see many school boards taking a closer look at states that facilitate I.D. instruction with the most success (like Kansas). What school boards need most is a bullet-proof way of introducing the concept of ID, and what teachers need most of all is a curriculum that will survive the test in our courts. On top of all this, it helps to have legal counsel that is familiar with the key issues related to ID. Good planning for this is the key, and I see a lot of this going on as I write.

Those are the immediate challenges ahead for ID in our schools, and if managed properly, one can only hope that there will be some positive results instead of the wild ineptitude demonstrated in the Kitzmiller opinion. The Kitzmiller opinion is being widely heralded as a great ruling, but in fact, is more likely a lesson about how NOT to write a decision.

There are signs that ID is beginning to heat up more than ever across the nation. It has captured the attention of our academic, scientific, and political leaders as never before. More and more people are taking the opportunity to mention ID in keynote addresses.

For example...

Near the end of his State of the Commonwealth speach on January 9th, 2006, Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher commented that Kentucky school districts have the freedom to teach intelligent design if they wish.

"And I encourage them to do so," he said.

And to underscore how seriously some academic institutions are taking ID, there is little to compare with the State of the University address given by Hunter Rawlings II of Cornell University on October 21, 2005. His entire address was devoted to ID.

Be sure to check out both the text and the video here