Bill Requiring Teachers to Question Proven Scientific Theories Introduced in Iowa

Bill Requiring Teachers to Question Proven Scientific Theories Introduced in Iowa

On March 1, 2017, a bill (House File 480) was introduced in the Iowa House of Representatives that would, if enacted, require teachers to present alternatives to evolution and other proven scientific theories. The bill states:

“If a teacher provides instruction relating to evolution, the origins of life, global warming, or human cloning, that teacher shall include opposing points of view or beliefs relating to the instruction.”

Opponents of the bill say this will undermine science education. They emphasize that, under the bill, there is no requirement that the “opposing points of view or beliefs” presented by teachers be scientifically valid. Thus, teachers could discuss theories that are unproven, or have been discredited. Moreover, the bill gives teachers significant flexibility to use textbooks and other instructional materials that support those theories, even if they lack a sound scientific basis. In this regard, the bill states:

“A teacher employed by the school district shall use textbooks adopted by the school district, but may supplement the information in those textbooks with other instructional materials.”