Thursday, December 21, 2006
Cobb County Crusher
The following (from a pdf file on the NCSE website), is the pertinent language from the Consent Judgment and Order ending the "textbook stickers" case in Georgia. It is fair to call it a complete rout.This last part is particularly telling. Any future attempt to implement any of the prohibited actions or any failure to fully comply with the state standards will only require a motion to enforce the order and, at most, a hearing to determine damages. The school board continues to claim that there was no Constitutional violation but then the question is why they have promised so finally never to ever do it again?Defendants, their officers, agents, successors, servants, employees, attorneys, and anyone acting in concert with them are enjoined from restoring to the science textbooks of students in the Cobb County schools any stickers, labels, stamps, inscriptions, or other warnings or disclaimers bearing language substantially similar to that used on the sticker that is the subject of this action.
[Defendants] are further enjoined from taking the following actions that would prevent or hinder the teaching of evolution in the School District:a. making any disclaimers regarding evolution orally, in writing, or by any other means;
b. placing on students’ science textbooks any stickers, labels, stamps, inscriptions, or other warnings or disclaimers referring or relating to evolution or Charles Darwin;
c. placing on students’ science textbooks any stickers, labels, stamps, inscriptions, or other statements relating to creationism, creation science, intelligent design, or any other religious view concerning the origins of life or the origins of human beings;
d. excising or redacting materials on evolution in students’ science textbooks; or
e. violating [Georgia statutes], which requires that local school boards adopt the State Board of Education’s "uniformly sequenced core curriculum as the basis for its own curriculum," including the state’s requirements with respect to the teaching of evolution, and ... which deems each local schoolboard "responsible for ensuring that," among other things, "the uniformly sequenced core curriculum . . . [is] fully and effectively implemented."This Order is binding on the Cobb County Board of Education and its officers and members in perpetuity, notwithstanding any changes to the Board’s membership that may result from future elections, appointments, vacancies, or other changes to the Board or its composition. ... Defendants are deemed to have submitted irrevocably to the jurisdiction and venue of this Court, and to have waived any objection thereto, for any proceeding to enforce this Order.
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