H. B. 2554
(By Delegate Prunty)
[Introduced
February 26, 2001
; referred to the
Committee on Education then the Judiciary.]
A BILL to amend article two, chapter eighteen of the code of West
Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, by
adding thereto a new section, designated section nine-a,
relating to a balanced treatment for the teaching of creation
science and evolution science in the public schools.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That article two, chapter eighteen of the code of West
Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be
amended by adding thereto a new section, designated section nine-a,
to read as follows:
ARTICLE 2. STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
§18-2-9a. Balanced treatment of creation science and evolution
science.
Public schools within this state shall give balanced treatment to creation science and evolution science. Balanced treatment to
these two models shall be given in classroom lectures taken as a
whole for each course, in textbook materials taken as a whole for
each course, in library materials taken as a whole for the
humanities, and in other educational programs in public schools, to
the extent that the lectures, textbook materials, library materials
and educational programs deal in any way with the subject of the
origin of man, life, the earth or the universe. Treatment of
either creation science or evolution science shall be limited to
scientific evidences for each model and may not include any
religious instruction or reference to religious writings.
For the purpose of this section:
"Creation science" means the scientific evidences for creation
and inferences of creation from the evidence, relating to: (a) The
sudden creation of the universe and energy; (b) the insufficiency
of mutation and natural selection in bringing about development of
all living kinds of simple organisms; (c) changes only within fixed
limits of originally created kinds of plants and animals; (d)
separate ancestry for man and apes; (e) explanation of earth's
geologic catastrophism, including the occurrence of a worldwide
flood; and (f) a relatively recent inception of the appearance of living kinds.
"Evolution science" means the scientific evidences for
evolution and inferences from scientific evidences relating to: (a)
Emergence by nature from disordered matter and emergence of life
from nonlife; (b) the natural selection in bringing about the
present living kinds from simple living kinds; (c) emergence of
life for present living kinds from simple living kinds; (d)
emergence of man from a common ancestry with apes; (e) explanation
of earth's geology from the evolution uniformitarianism; and (f) an
inception several billion years ago of the earth and life.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide that both
creation science and evolution science be taught in the public
schools on an equal basis without reference to any religious
concepts.
This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and
underscoring have been omitted.
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