The Texas board of education has moved closer to tweaking—but still preserving—high school science curriculum requirements that teachers and academics say cast doubt on the theory of evolution.
After debating the issue this month, the Republican-controlled board dropped language that asked biology students to consider “all sides” of scientific theory. Experts critical of that wording said it allowed religious belief to trump science.
But the board inserted similar requirements on scrutinizing scientific conclusions. It kept lessons on the origin of life and gaps in the fossil record. Critics say the standards still challenge evolution. The board votes again in April.
Anna Otto, the computer science and online learning coordinator for the Adams 12 Five Star school district in Colorado, and her 9-year-old son, Aiden, who was born prematurely at 28 weeks and lives with cerebral palsy, at home in Longmont, Colo., on Dec. 17, 2024. Otto's passion for computer science is inspired, in part, by the role it has played in her son's ability to walk independently.
Anna Otto, the computer science and online learning coordinator for the Adams 12 Five Star school district in suburban Denver, visits a 5th grade class at Glacier Peak Elementary School in Brighton, Colo., on Dec. 9, 2024.
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