SENATE BILL 86
State of Louisiana
No permission required
Regular Session, 1981
SENATE BILL NO. 86
BY MESSRS. KEITH AND RICHEY
AN ACT
To amend Title 17 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950 by adding thereto
a new Chapter, to be designated as Chapter 30, comprised of R.S. 17:3701 through
R.S. 17:3707, relative to balanced treatment of creation-science and evolution-science
in public schools, to permit such balanced treatment, to bar discrimination on
the basis of creationist or evolutionist belief, to provide definitions and clarifications,
to declare the legislative purpose, to provide relative to inservice teacher training
and materials acquisition, to provide relative to curriculum development, and
otherwise to provide with respect thereto.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
Section 1. Chapter 30 of Title 17 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950,
comprised of Sections 3701 through 3707, is hereby enacted to read as follows:
CHAPTER 30. BALANCED TREATMENT FOR CREATION-SCIENCE AND EVOLUTION-SCIENCE IN
PUBLIC SCHOOL INSTRUCTION
§3701. Short title
This Chapter shall be known as the "Balanced Treatment for Creation-Science and
Evolution-Science Act."
§3702. Purpose
This Chapter is enacted for the purposes of protecting academic freedom.
§3703. Definitions
As used in this Chapter, unless otherwise clearly indicated, these terms have
the following meanings:
(1) "Balanced treatment" means providing whatever information and instruction
in both creation and evolution models the classroom teacher determines is necessary
and appropriate to provide insight into both theories in view of the textbooks
and other instructional materials available for use in his classroom.
(2) "Creation-science" means the scientific evidences for creation and inferences
from those scientific evidences.
(3) "Evolution-science" means the scientific evidences for evolution and inferences
from those scientific evidences.
(4) "Public schools" mean public secondary and elementary schools.
§3704. Authorization for balanced treatment; requirement for nondiscrimination
A. Commencing with the 1982-1983 school year, public schools within this state
may give balanced treatment to creation-science and to evolution-science. Balanced
treatment of these two models may 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 sciences and taken as a whole for the humanities,
and in other educational programs in public schools, to the extent that such lectures,
textbooks, library materials, or educational programs deal in any way with the
subject of the origin or man, life, the earth, or the universe.
B. Public schools within this state and their personnel shall not discriminate
by reducing a grade of a student or by singling out and publicly criticizing any
student who demonstrates a satisfactory understanding of both evolution-science
or creation-science and who accepts or rejects either model in whole or part.
§3705. Clarifications
This Chapter does not require any instruction in the subject of origins but simply
permits instruction in both scientific models (of evolution-science and creation-science)
if public schools choose to teach either. This Chapter does not require each individual
textbook or library book to give balanced treatment to the models of evolution-science
and creation-science; it does not require any school books to be discarded. This
Chapter does not require each individual classroom lecture in a course to give
such balanced treatment but simply permits the lectures as a whole to give balanced
treatment; it permits some lectures to present evolution-science and other lectures
to present creation-science.
§3706. Funding of inservice training and material s acquisition
Any public school that elects to present any model of origins may use existing
teacher inservice training funds to prepare teachers of public school courses
presenting any model of origins to give balanced treatment to the creation-science
model and the evolution-science model. Existing library acquisition funds may
be used to purchase nonreligious library books as are necessary to give balanced
treatment to the creation-science model and the evolution-science model.
§3707. Curriculum development
A. Each city and parish school board may develop and provide to each public school
classroom teacher in the system a curriculum guide on presentation of creation-science.
B. The governor may designate seven creation-scientists who shall provide resource
services in the development of curriculum guides to any city or parish school
board upon request. Each such creation-scientist shall be designated from among
the full-time faculty members teaching in any college and university in Louisiana.
These creation-scientists shall serve at the pleasure of the governor and without
compensation.
Section 2. If any provision or item of this Act or the application thereof
is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions, items, or
applications of this Act which can be given effect without the invalid provisions.
items, or applications, and to this end the provisions of this Act are hereby
declared severable.
Section 3. All laws or parts of laws in conflict herewith are heresy
repealed.
DIGEST
The following digest was prepared by Diane Burkhart of the Senate
staff.
It constitutes no part of the bill.
Permits, commencing with the 1982-1983 school year, balanced treatment of creation-science
and evolutionary-science in all modes of instruction, taken as a whole, used in
public elementary and secondary classrooms to present information on the subject
of the origins of the universe, earth, and life forms. Provides legislative purposes,
definitions, and clarifications, and provides for in-service training of teachers
and materials acquisition. Prohibits grade reduction or public criticism by any
school personnel of any student who demonstrates a satisfactory understanding
of both evolution-science or creation-science and accepts or rejects either model.
(Adds R.S. 17:3701-17:3707)
Summary of Amendments Adopted by Senate Committee Amendments Proposed by
Senate Committee on Education to the Original Bill
- Restates legislative purpose.
- Eliminates statements of legislative findings of fact.
- Adds definition of "balanced treatment."
- Deletes all references to religion.
- Adds provision permitting use of local funds to acquire materials and provide
in-service training for teachers.
- Adds provision permitting local school boards to develop curriculum guides.
- Adds provision authorizing governor to select seven creationists to serve
as a resource panel to local school boards in developing curriculum.
- Changes substantive provisions of bill from mandatory to permissive.
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