H. B. 2160
(By Delegate Prunty)
[Introduced January 13, 1999; referred to the
Committee on Education.]
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.