South Car olina General As s embly 1 18th Ses s ion, 2009-2010 Download T his Bill in M icros oft W ord format Indicates M atter Stricken Indicates New M atter S. 875 ST A TUS I NF ORMA TI ON General Bill Spons ors : Senator Fair Document Path: l:\council\bills \nbd\1 1 176bh09.docx Introduced in the Senate on M ay 21, 2009 Currently res iding in the Senate Committee on Education Summary: Scientific education HI ST OR Y OF LEGI SLA TI VE ACTI ONS Date Body Action Description with journal page number ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5/21/2009 Senate Introduced and read first time SJ -4 5/21/2009 Senate Referred to Committee on Education SJ -4 V iew the lates t legis lative information at the L PIT S web s ite VERSI ONS OF THI S BI LL 5/21/2009 (T ext matches printed bills . Document has been reformatted to meet W orld W ide W eb s pecifications .) 2009-2010 Bill 875: Scientific educat ion - Sout h C ar oli na Legis... htt p: / / w w w .scst at ehouse.gov/ sess1 18_2009-2010/bi ll s/875.ht m 1 of 3 3/5/10 8: 28 PM A BILL T O AM E ND T HE CODE OF L A WS OF SOUT H CAROL INA, 1976, BY ADDING SE CT ION 59-29-1 15 SO AS T O PROVIDE T HA T T HE ST A T E BOARD OF E DUCA T ION, AND DIST RICT AND SCHOOL GOVE RNING AUT HORIT IE S, SHAL L F ACIL IT A T E SCIE NT IFIC E DUCA T ION, INCL UDING CONT ROVE RSIAL SCIE NT IFIC E DUCA T ION, IN T HE PUBL IC SCHOOL S OF T HIS ST A T E , T O PROHIBIT T HE SE AUT HORIT IE S FROM IM PE DING T HIS E DUCA T ION, AND T O PROVIDE FOR PUBL ICA T ION OF T HE PROVISIONS OF T HIS ACT T O SCHOOL GOVE RNING AUT HORIT IE S. Be it enacted by the General As s embly of the State of South Carolina: SE CT ION 1. T he General As s embly finds that an important purpos e of s cience education is to inform s tudents about s cientific evidence and to help s tudents develop critical thinking s kills they need in order to become intelligent, productive, and s cientifically informed citizens . T he General As s embly further finds that the teaching of s ome s cientific s ubjects , s uch as biological evolution, the chemical origins of life, global warming, and human cloning can caus e controvers y and that s ome teachers may be uns ure of the expectations concerning how they s hould pres ent information on thes e s ubjects . SE CT ION 2. Article 1, Chapter 29, T itle 59 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding: "Section 59-29-1 15 . (A) T he State Board of E ducation, and dis trict and s chool governing authorities , s hall endeavor to create an environment within all public s chools of this State that encourages s tudents to explore s cientific ques tions , learn about s cientific evidence, develop critical thinking s kills , and res pond appropriately and res pectfully to dif ferences of opinion about controvers ial is s ues . T hes e educational authorities als o s hall endeavor to as s is t teachers to find more ef fective ways to pres ent the s cience curriculum that addres s es s cientific controvers ies . T eachers mus t be permitted to help s tudents unders tand, analyze, critique, and review in an objective manner the s cientific s trengths and weaknes s es of exis ting s cientific theories pertinent to the cours e. (B) School governing authorities including, but not limited to, s chool and dis trict s uperintendents , principals , and adminis trators , may not prohibit a teacher in a public s chool in this State from helpi ng s tudents unders tand, analyze, critique, and review in an objective manner the s cientific s trengths and weaknes s es of exis ting s cientific theories pertinent to the cours e. (C) T his s ection applies only to the teaching of s cientific information and may not be cons trued to promote any religious or nonreligious doctrine, promote dis crimination for or agains t a particular s et of religious beliefs or nonbeliefs , or promote dis crimination for or agains t religion or nonreligion. (D) By the s tart of the 2009-2010 s chool term, the State Department of E ducation s hall notify all dis trict s uperintendents of the provis ions of this act, and each s uperintendent s hall in turn dis s emin ate the information to dis trict employees ." SE CT ION 3. T his act takes ef fect upon approval by the Governor . 2009-2010 Bill 875: Scientific educat ion - Sout h C ar oli na Legis... htt p: / / w w w .scst at ehouse.gov/ sess1 18_2009-2010/bi ll South Car olina General As s embly 1 18th Ses s ion, 2009-2010 Download T his Bill in M icros oft W ord format Indicates M atter Stricken Indicates New M atter S. 875 ST A TUS I NF ORMA TI ON General Bill Spons ors : Senator Fair Document Path: l:\council\bills \nbd\1 1 176bh09.docx Introduced in the Senate on M ay 21, 2009 Currently res iding in the Senate Committee on Education Summary: Scientific education HI ST OR Y OF LEGI SLA TI VE ACTI ONS Date Body Action Description with journal page number ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5/21/2009 Senate Introduced and read first time SJ -4 5/21/2009 Senate Referred to Committee on Education SJ -4 V iew the lates t legis lative information at the L PIT S web s ite VERSI ONS OF THI S BI LL 5/21/2009 (T ext matches printed bills . Document has been reformatted to meet W orld W ide W eb s pecifications .) 2009-2010 Bill 875: Scientific educat ion - Sout h C ar oli na Legis... htt p: / / w w w .scst at ehouse.gov/ sess1 18_2009-2010/bi ll s/875.ht m 1 of 3 3/5/10 8: 28 PM A BILL T O AM E ND T HE CODE OF L A WS OF SOUT H CAROL INA, 1976, BY ADDING SE CT ION 59-29-1 15 SO AS T O PROVIDE T HA T T HE ST A T E BOARD OF E DUCA T ION, AND DIST RICT AND SCHOOL GOVE RNING AUT HORIT IE S, SHAL L F ACIL IT A T E SCIE NT IFIC E DUCA T ION, INCL UDING CONT ROVE RSIAL SCIE NT IFIC E DUCA T ION, IN T HE PUBL IC SCHOOL S OF T HIS ST A T E , T O PROHIBIT T HE SE AUT HORIT IE S FROM IM PE DING T HIS E DUCA T ION, AND T O PROVIDE FOR PUBL ICA T ION OF T HE PROVISIONS OF T HIS ACT T O SCHOOL GOVE RNING AUT HORIT IE S. Be it enacted by the General As s embly of the State of South Carolina: SE CT ION 1. T he General As s embly finds that an important purpos e of s cience education is to inform s tudents about s cientific evidence and to help s tudents develop critical thinking s kills they need in order to become intelligent, productive, and s cientifically informed citizens . T he General As s embly further finds that the teaching of s ome s cientific s ubjects , s uch as biological evolution, the chemical origins of life, global warming, and human cloning can caus e controvers y and that s ome teachers may be uns ure of the expectations concerning how they s hould pres ent information on thes e s ubjects . SE CT ION 2. Article 1, Chapter 29, T itle 59 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding: "Section 59-29-1 15 . (A) T he State Board of E ducation, and dis trict and s chool governing authorities , s hall endeavor to create an environment within all public s chools of this State that encourages s tudents to explore s cientific ques tions , learn about s cientific evidence, develop critical thinking s kills , and res pond appropriately and res pectfully to dif ferences of opinion about controvers ial is s ues . T hes e educational authorities als o s hall endeavor to as s is t teachers to find more ef fective ways to pres ent the s cience curriculum that addres s es s cientific controvers ies . T eachers mus t be permitted to help s tudents unders tand, analyze, critique, and review in an objective manner the s cientific s trengths and weaknes s es of exis ting s cientific theories pertinent to the cours e. (B) School governing authorities including, but not limited to, s chool and dis trict s uperintendents , principals , and adminis trators , may not prohibit a teacher in a public s chool in this State from helpi ng s tudents unders tand, analyze, critique, and review in an objective manner the s cientific s trengths and weaknes s es of exis ting s cientific theories pertinent to the cours e. (C) T his s ection applies only to the teaching of s cientific information and may not be cons trued to promote any religious or nonreligious doctrine, promote dis crimination for or agains t a particular s et of religious beliefs or nonbeliefs , or promote dis crimination for or agains t religion or nonreligion. (D) By the s tart of the 2009-2010 s chool term, the State Department of E ducation s hall notify all dis trict s uperintendents of the provis ions of this act, and each s uperintendent s hall in turn dis s emin ate the information to dis trict employees ." SE CT ION 3. T his act takes ef fect upon approval by the Governor . 2009-2010 Bill 875: Scientific educat ion - Sout h C ar oli na Legis... htt p: / / w w w .scst at ehouse.gov/ sess1 18_2009-2010/bi ll s/875.ht m 2 of 3 3/5/10 8: 28 PM s/875.ht m 2 of 3 3/5/10 8: 28 PM
March 21, 2016