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SBOE Considers Science Classroom Materials

Parliamentarian Kirk Overbey and David Bradley of District 7 at Thursday morning's State Board of Education meeting.
Photo by Daniel Reese for KUT News.
Parliamentarian Kirk Overbey and David Bradley of District 7 at Thursday morning's State Board of Education meeting.

The State Board of Education has begun a two-day process to adopt new science materials for Texas public schools. 

A public hearinggot underway this morning on a list of instructional materials recommended by Education Commissioner Robert Scott.   Liberals such as Kathy Miller with the Texas Freedom Network like the list.

"I actually think the Board should adopt the recommendations made by Commissioner Scott with no changes and no last minute amendments that aren't made by teachers and scholars serving on review teams," Miller said this morning.

But socially conservative observers say students should be required to question the theory of evolution.

"The commissioner's list is one part of the process," Jonathan Saenz, with the Liberty Institute said. "I think you're going to see the State Board of Education take issue with some of that, to make sure that they have standards where they can examine all sides of theories. And if these materials don't do that, they should be rejected."

The Board is set to take a final vote Friday, so that the science materials can be in classrooms by the fall.

Nathan Bernier is the transportation reporter at KUT. He covers the big projects that are reshaping how we get around Austin, like the I-35 overhaul, the airport's rapid growth and the multibillion dollar transit expansion Project Connect. He also focuses on the daily changes that affect how we walk, bike and drive around the city. Got a tip? Email him at nbernier@kut.org. Follow him on Twitter @KUTnathan.
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