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March 23, 2011

No consequence for teaching creationism


Hemant Mehta, Chicago Coalition of Reason and author of the blog Friendly Atheist

Beau Schaefer, a science teacher at Libertyville High School, has learned the punishment for preaching creationism in the classroom:


After a school board meeting Tuesday night in which both sides of the evolution debate — the side that understands science and the side supporting Schaefer — made their cases, the end result was that nothing happened.

Superintendent Prentiss Lea said the school board is not going to take action on the teacher’s employment, because the issue has been resolved.

“Regardless of our professional or personal opinions, in this area, there is no gray area,” Lea said. “The teacher in question is a longstanding D128 instructor. We will not be recommending his termination as this is remediable behavior.”

The fact that this teacher has been teaching for a long while is irrelevant. If anything, it just raises the question of how long he’s been teaching Christianity to his students.

Is it “remediable behavior”? Well, we know the school district has already informed teachers that teaching Creationism would not be tolerated… but Schaefer has yet to apologize for what he did or acknowledge that what he was discussing in class wasn’t actual science but rather religion.

Here’s what the superintendent actually said regarding the situation:

The D128 and LHS administration looked in the concern and determined that an LHS Science teacher had referenced and/or taught creationism in Biology classes. The D128 and LHS administration dealt with the science teacher to ensure that creationism is not referenced or taught in other D128 science classes, and finally, clarified the D128 expectation that creationism is not to be referenced or taught in D128 science classes. The issue at hand is not, and I repeat not, whether referencing or teaching creationism in our science classes is acceptable and appropriate. It is not. The United States Supreme Court and several other federal court decisions have found that creationism may not be referenced or taught in public school science classrooms. Regardless of our professional or personal opinions, there is no gray area in these court cases, and D128 must and will, live within the boundaries of the court rulings. The teacher in question is a long standing D128 educator, cooperated fully with administrators looking into this concern, and we will not be recommending his termination as this is remediable behavior.

How çan a problem like this be remediated when the culprit doesn’t even think it’s a problem to begin with?

How can anyone teach science when he obviously doesn’t understand one of the most fundamental scientific concepts?

If teaching Creationism doesn’t do it, what does a science teacher have to do to get fired, anyway?

And why is this superintendent’s response so weak? Yes, the courts have ruled against teaching Creationism. But that’s not the reason it shouldn’t be taught in Science class. Creationism should be left out of the curriculum because it’s not really science; it’s religion, pure and simple. Why doesn’t the superintendent have the courage (and knowledge) to simply admit that?

Of all the people I thought would be upset by this lack of action, I thought atheist activist Rob Sherman would certainly be one of them. He’s the main reason this issue is getting attention in the first place.

But Rob feels Schaefer has been punished enough:

While Schaefer wasn’t fired, the Resolution of Reprimand is very damaging to his career. Most teachers never earn a Resolution of Reprimand from their School Board, so if Schaefer were to ever try to get a teaching job, anywhere else, the Resolution would haunt him for the rest of his working career. In addition, if Schaefer were to ever again teach creationism in a District 128 science classroom, his career in District 128 would surely be finished.

If Rob accepts the decision of the school board, though, then I don’t see any reason to advocate for further “remediation.” Even after Schaefer was giving students handouts like these during the evolution unit.


Disgusting. I wonder how the school board would've ruled if a Muslim instead of a Christian had taught creationism?

The teacher should be sacked. By letting him slide, we are telling the other teachers out there who are teaching creationism that what they are doing is OK.

The message is clear: Keep trying. You'll get away with it for a long time, and if/when you get caught, nothing will happen, anyway!

By promoting creationism, this teacher demonstrated that he has no concept of what science is and that he is not qualified to teach science. It's like a math teacher who teaches 2+2 = Apple.

Would the teacher still be there if he had taught Greek or Norse Creationism?

Of course not.

Why is he still there for teaching Christian Creationism?

The double standard is ridiculous.

He did something illegal as a teacher, but the law does not dictate the punishment for the offense. And you're right, his behavior does deserve some sort of punishment. But to terminate his employment for the first time he's been caught doing this is harsh and unnecessary.

If he continues to try and sneak his way around the law, then yes, punish him, fire him, or whatnot. But this man's livelihood, including that of his family, relies on his employment as a teacher.

And it's not as if he's disregarding evolution, so the kids are still learning, and we all know that we need more teachers in this country, even ones that teach partly incorrectly.

I wouldn't fire this teacher. I think we can assume he was indoctrinated into the cult of christianity at an early age prior to him realizing he had a choice. I would, however, put him on leave without pay while he attends post-cult deprogramming therapy.

I feel bad for the students. Creationism is not science.

I'll start worrying about the impact to his family when he starts worrying about the impact on his lying to school children. Which is to say, never.

He should be fired.

Absolutely ridiculous that nothing more was done in this case. I agree with the other commenters that if he had been teaching from any other "creationist" perspective besides christian, he would have been more severely punished or fired.

Besides that, he used Papyrus on his handout, not for the title, but for the text. That alone merits facing a firing squad. ;)


Why would bother looking elsewhere if he's not going to get fired anyway?


So after uncounted instances of pollution of the science curriculum with Creator they are going to give him one more chance to reform, but he'll be canned if he does it again. Yea sure!

Teaching religion in public schools absolutely should be a firing offense.

Thanks for the link to the handout. Can't believe someone would do that in a school.

>>what does a science teacher have to do to get fired, anyway?

Saying Cristianity is wrong would almost certainly get him fired.

I don't know what it takes to fire a teacher at Liberty High School, but a few weeks ago, this chart showing the process to fire a teacher in the Chicago Public School District was published over at Forbes.com


The process can take up to five years.

If LHS's process is in any way similar, no wonder they weren't willing to bother. Complacency is easier.

He is using leading questions in his tests and is indoctrinating his students. It's one thing to mention creationism as a valid alternative (which it is not, at least not scientifically), and it's quite another to teach the details that he's teaching. The worksheet linked in this article looks exactly like something I had to do in my Christian biology class. The education I received in that class was horrendous. I never learned all of the fascinating findings involved in evolutionary science. I was not taught about Darwin in a respectful way. No one explained natural selection to me from a scientific point of view, only from a critical religious angle. I was indoctrinated and had to learn the actual science much later as an adult.

Public schools are NOT religious schools. This is one of many reasons that I will not trust a public school to educate my child. The main reason, of course, is the mediocre education.

What kind of message does this send to other teachers who care more about pushing their own agendas than the education of our children?

Unbelievable. How can you be a science teacher if you believe in creationism?

That's like teaching Spanglish in a Spanish class.

The fact that this guy still has a job speaks wonders about the double standard that is applied to Christians vs atheists.

Truly disappointing. Schaefer's no more fit to teach science than a Holocaust denier is to teach history. The only concern should be for Libertyville's future students. He's not the victim; they are. Schaefer is free to preach whatever perversions he wants to consenting adults in his own home or church. But the school board failed their student body by allowing a Creationist with a complete disregard for the law to remain a science teacher in a public school. Did the superintendent actually read the handout?

Look at the handouts before you sentence the teacher to a crime.

The handouts don't actually support either viewpoint, and everything that is written down is in student handwritting. I'm guessing that this is from a class discussion that came up. The teacher is guilty of facilitating an open discussion in a public place. Sounds like that darn 1st Amendment has gotten in the way again!!

I would like to ask Rob Sherman and other atheists what they think is the scientific explanation for the origin of life. There is none. Evolution does not answer the question of where the first life came from. Darwinian evolution is not a proven fact. There are many problems with the theory. It's unfortunate that teachers are not allowed to question the theory. I agree they should not teach creation as science. But a dogmatic assertion of evolution as fact is equally unscientific.

A recent study found that a majority of high school biology teachers are reluctant to endorse evolution in class because they are not convinced.


Ken Lundgren, just because you don't understand it doesn't mean that the science isn't true. You are engaging in willful ignorance.

The study showing that biology teachers are reluctant to endorse evolution in class speaks to the fact that they're terrified of offending the bullying religious sensibilities of parents and school boards - sad state of affairs.


Evolution does not answer the question of where the first life came from because it does not ASK that question. Origins of life is not part of evolution. There are no problems with the Theory of Evolution, and it is a fact that evolution occurs, and is presently occurring. Scientists are learning more about every day. Books used in high school biology classes do not "dogmatically" assert anything, they presents the facts known by mainstream science at the time of publishing. Teachers shouldn't question the theory because, for the most part, they are not scientists, they are teachers. Many of them do a very good job presenting biology.

The reasons that so many teacher are reluctant to "endorse evolution" are because of the problems that creationists cause in trying to push their religious views into public schools and some teachers, like Mr Schaefer, are dishonest.

Muslims DO teach creation; some also agree to a young earth position. Mr Lundgren's comment is absolutely true, but I wonder why not teach creation science and evolutionism side by side. Show the facts and evidence for both. Some of the comments earlier are just fanciful. I do, and we all can, ask "Since God IS, what part did He have in this?" (And that is not a religious question). One can sometimes get an answer like, "But I don't believe in God." (That immediately reduces that person's credibility for most people).

Absolutely pathetic and totally predictable. Welcome to America, where the average citizen is a moron.

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