Creationism controversy again slips into Texas textbook

Touching on Agent-X is leaving Ouidah, Benin to go to Bahia, Brazil,South America, Creationism controversy again slips into Texas textbook debateBy M. Alex Johnson, msnbc.com reporter
Texas schools were back at the center of the argument over whether students should be taught creationism alongside evolution Thursday, even if they weren't supposed to be.

Curriculum standards adopted in 2009 say Texas' science textbooks must "explore all sides" of the theory of evolution, a specification that conservative religious members then on the board said was intended to require textbooks to discuss creationism and "intelligent design," the hypothesis that a supreme being engineered the creation and development of humanity.

Texas schools are due to update their textbooks this year. Normally, the state board would review and approve all new textbooks.

But the state says it can't afford to pay local school boards to buy any of them.

So the state Board of Education met Thursday to hear four hours of public testimony on whether to recommend a slate of electronic books and other online materials to "supplement" the old textbooks as a stopgap.

A final vote is scheduled Friday.

Activists were eager to use Thursday's hearing to continue their argument over evolution.

But the actual matter before the board was much narrower