Junk science in Texas
Until recently, a woman named Chris Comer had served for nine years as the state science curriculum director for the Texas Education Agency. She was fired for forwarding an email and merely adding the phrase "FYI."
Unfortunately for Ms. Comer and the schoolchildren of Texas, the subject of the email was a presentation to be given by a well-known debunker of creationist propaganda. Here's what got her fired:
Comer was put on 30 days paid administrative leave shortly after she forwarded an e-mail in late October announcing a presentation being given by Barbara Forrest, author of "Inside Creationism's Trojan Horse," a book that says creationist politics are behind the movement to get intelligent design theory taught in public schools. Forrest was also a key witness in the Kitzmiller v. Dover case concerning the introduction of intelligent design in a Pennsylvania school district. Comer sent the e-mail to several individuals and a few online communities, saying, "FYI."
Agency officials cited the e-mail in a memo recommending her termination. They said forwarding the e-mail not only violated a directive for her not to communicate in writing or otherwise with anyone outside the agency regarding an upcoming science curriculum review, "it directly conflicts with her responsibilities as the Director of Science."
The reactionaries in charge of education in Texas didn't like Comer's respect for science and fact. Not surprisingly, the call for her termination came from a Bush lackey:
The call to fire Comer came from Lizzette Reynolds, who previously worked in the U.S. Department of Education. She also served as deputy legislative director for Gov. George W. Bush. She joined the Texas Education Agency as the senior adviser on statewide initiatives in January.
Reynolds, who was out sick the day Comer forwarded the e-mail, received a copy from an unnamed source and forwarded it to Comer's bosses less than two hours after Comer sent it.
"This is highly inappropriate," Reynolds said in an e-mail to Comer's supervisors. "I believe this is an offense that calls for termination or, at the very least, reassignment of responsibilities.
"This is something that the State Board, the Governor's Office and members of the Legislature would be extremely upset to see because it assumes this is a subject that the agency supports."
Americans United had this to say:
The Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United, blasted officials at TEA and called on them to promptly reinstate Comer.
"It’s a sad day when a science expert can lose her job merely for recommending that people hear a speaker defend sound science," Lynn said.
Apparently, Lizzette Reynolds thinks that state education agencies should support dogmatic propaganda over fact. She apparently believes that fundamentalist religious dogma tarted up with a veneer of junk science is the same thing as empirical reality.
And people have the audacity to wonder why education in this country has swirled down the toilet.