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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

House panel amends new school science standards, deletes climate change part

Here’s a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho House panel has approved new K-12 science standards, but only after striking key references to climate change caused by human behavior. This is the third year the Idaho Legislature has struggled to agree on science standards for public schools. Previous efforts that included references to global warming and the Big Bang Theory have been rejected by Republicans unhappy that the language didn't offer alternative views. The last time Idaho's science standards were updated was in 2001 — which have long been criticized as being too vague and lacking depth. The version approved Thursday had originally included discussion of the need to reduce and monitor human impacts on climate change. However, Republicans on the House Education Committee amended the rules on Thursday to remove those sections before approving them. The committee's Democratic members opposed the move.



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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