Published: 02.01.2004
COX NEWS SERVICE
ATLANTA - Gov. Sonny Perdue said Saturday the word "evolution" should
stay in science textbooks used by Georgia students, his first effort to quell
a controversy swirling around a volatile mix of religion and science.
"If you're going to teach evolution, you ought to call it evolution,"
the Republican governor told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "By that
I mean, there ought to be a balance. Evolution, as I understand it, is an academic
theory. I think it should be taught as an academic theory."
Perdue sought to end a dispute over last week's proposal by state School Superintendent
Kathy Cox to replace the word "evolution" with "biological changes
over time," a phrase that scientists describe as meaningless.
Cox could not be reached for comment Saturday.
Cox last week proposed editing out the word "evolution" as part of
a massive revision of the state curriculum. She called the term a "buzzword"
that poses a risk of derailing efforts to teach major concepts of biology.