Orlando science teacher says academic freedom bill ‘extremely important’

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TALLAHASSEE (FBW)—Although a Senate committee gave approval March 26 to legislation intended to protect academic freedom of teachers and students regarding evolution, the action was only a “small hurdle” and long odds remain against the bill becoming law, according to Florida Baptist Convention legislative consultant Bill Bunkley.

Meanwhile, the Florida Legislature unanimously approved a resolution apologizing for the state’s role in supporting slavery and a House panel approved a bill requiring women to have ultrasound examinations before having abortions.

Although Orange County middle school science teacher David Brackin traveled to Tallahassee to testify before the Senate Education Pre-K-12 Committee, he was never actually heard by the panel because the committee was short on time in its March 26 meeting.

Nevertheless, Brackin told Florida Baptist Witness following the meeting the legislation, SB 2692 introduced by Sen. Ronda Storms (R-Brandon), is “extremely important,” noting that he has been persecuted during his 25-year teaching career for attempting to offer scientific criticisms of evolution in the classroom.

A teacher at Chain of Lakes Middle School in Orlando for 23 years, Brackin said: “As a young teacher many years ago I was brought into the office and told not to teach religion. I wasn’t teaching religion. I showed some weaknesses in evolution. I compared the strengths of evolution and the weaknesses of evolution.”

Storms’ bill, which was amended unanimously by committee substitute, changing its title to the “Evolution Academic Freedom Act,” finds that “current law does not expressly protect the right of teachers to objectively present scientific information relevant to the full range of scientific views regarding chemical and biological evolution” and gives teachers an “affirmative right and freedom to” teach such subject matter without fear of reprisal.

Storms is a member of First Baptist Church in Brandon.

Brackin told the Witness there is “definitely” a danger of reprisal to him because of the State Board of Education’s adoption of new science standards mandating a dogmaticposition on evolution, adding, “I have experienced persecution” for offering critical views on Darwinism. “I hope this bill passes,” Brackin said.

Although the Senate panel approved the bill 4-1, Bunkley told the Witness odds are against the bill becoming law.

“The passage of this bill today means that we have crossed a very small hurdle,” Bunkley said after the committee meeting. “We have not had confirmation from the Florida House as to their wishes with respect to moving this bill forward. … With the budgetary concerns and other things that are happening, it is going to be a challenging situation at best for this legislation to become law this year.”

The bill must be heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee and the companion bill in the House, HB 1483, has not been scheduled for committee hearings.

“We will continue to work hard both in the House and in the Senate as we have to do with many issues such as this. So we’ll do our best to educate members of the House and Senate to this good piece of legislation and we’ll just have to see where it goes from here,” Bunkley said.

Also on March 26, both houses of the Florida Legislature adopted unanimously SCR 2930, “A concurrent resolution expressing profound regret for the involuntary servitude of Africans and calling for reconciliation among all Floridians.”

The resolution, co-sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Tony Hill (D-Jacksonville) and Senate President Ken Pruitt (R-Port St. Lucie) briefly outlines the history of slavery in Florida and “call for healing and reconciliation among all residents of the state.”

Florida’s apology, affirmed by Gov. Charlie Crist who observed the Legislature’s action, closely resembles similar resolutions adopted by North Carolina, Alabama, Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey, The New York Times reported.

(A March 13 Florida Baptist Witness editorial, “An apology long past due,” encouraged Florida Baptists to support the effort.)

A bill to require women and girls to have an ultrasound of their unborn babies that they could view before having an abortion was approved by a House committee March 20 on a 10-6 vote and has been scheduled for House floor debate April 2, with a possible vote on April 4.

HB 257 is sponsored by Rep. Anthony Trey Traviesa (R-Tampa) with the companion bill in the Senate, SB 2400, sponsored by Sen. Daniel Webster (R-Winter Garden) a member of First Baptist Church of Central Florida in Orlando. The Senate bill has been scheduled for consideration in Health Regulation Committee the week of April 1.

The House version has been amended to conform to provisions of the Senate version in hopes the legislation can make it through the more moderate body of the Legislature.

According to The Associated Press, in 2006 nearly 96,000 pregnancies in Florida were terminated by abortion.

The ultrasound bill is a priority for Bunkley and the Florida Baptist Convention.