Oklahoma Antiscience Legislation Combatted
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Medium (Personal)
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2019/02/19
NCSE reported on the defeat of a set of antiscience legislation in Oklahoma’s Senate Bill 14. The purpose was for the empowerment of science denialists.
The vote failed 6–9 in terms of winning the recommendation of the House Committee on Education. This was on February 12, 2019. The bill was framed as “the Oklahoma Science Education Act.”
In pragmatic terms, this meant that teachers in Oklahoma would be able to “understand, analyze, critique[,] and review in an objective manner the scientific strengths and scientific weaknesses of existing scientific theories covered in the course being taught.”
But, at the same time, this meant the prohibition of local and state administrators from “exercising supervisory responsibility,” as phrased by the NCSE.
That is to say, if a science teacher denied the fundamentals of science, they could be empowered to teach non-science views. None of the theories identified as particularly controversial.
However, the efforts came forth from a sole sponsor named David Bullard. He is new to the legislature. The predecessor of Bullard (R-District 6) was Josh Brecheen. There was a similar form of a bill proposed there.
But also, since the start of 2019, two other bills have been proposed including North Dakota’s House Bill 1538 and South Dakota’s House Bill 1270.
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