SCHOOLS: Offer creation as choice

At a recent 271 School District board meeting several times testimony was given that referenced the merits of parental choice. I believe the majority of parents support the concept of schools of choice. However, the choices are limited to options that are predetermined by the educators and ratified by the trustees.

If the system really supported parental choice the administration would give all parents the opportunity to offer more input. They would encourage parents to provide information regarding educational choices perhaps via a questionnaire similar to the fact finding questionnaire used by KTEC.

An interesting option that would be supported by a high percentage of parents, if given the opportunity, would be to choose between classes on creation science or evolution. This would solve the problem that some parents have regarding the so-called government mandated teaching of religion. This would also solve the problem that parents have that do not want their children taught the theory of evolution.

The theory of evolution versus creation science has a way of rising to the top of the agenda every few years at school board meetings across the country. Each time the teaching of creation science surfaces liberal judges rule it to be unconstitutional. They cite the so-called constitutional separation of church and state clause in the First Amendment. There is only one problem. The clause does not exist in the Constitution. Liberal judges, attorneys, and law professors continue to tell this lie over and over again. This lie has been told so often in the last 60 years that the younger generation believe it to be true. I have spoken with a few well-meaning teachers in our public schools who actually believe this to be true. In these situations both teachers and students are victims of the lie.

It is time we set the record straight! I challenge anyone including constitutional attorneys and professors to show us where separation of church and state is written in the Constitution.

Now let us do the right thing and give parents a true choice.

Oh, by the way, if we really believe in school choice maybe we should be fair to those parents who choose to send their children to private schools and adopt a voucher system. This way they will not have to pay both public and private schools for educating their children.

RON VIESELMEYER

Coeur d’Alene