The Freedom From Religion Foundation has successfully halted the teaching of creationism in the science curriculum at a Colorado public charter school.

FFRF wrote to the CEO of James Irwin Charter Schools after a concerned parent reported that James Irwin Charter Middle School in Colorado Springs was planning to include “intelligent design” and “creationist theory” alongside evolution in its eighth-grade science curriculum.

According to an email sent to parents by the school’s science lead, the evolution unit proposed to “teach Intelligent Design and evolution” and “present a creationist theory and an evolutionist theory regarding natural selection, adaptation and evolution.”

The parent who contacted FFRF expressed concern about the school presenting religious doctrine as science.

“I feel like the public charter school is not trustworthy and I am now questioning the quality of my [child’s] education,” the parent communicated to the state/church watchdog. “I feel angry that religion is being forced on children and presented as science.”

FFRF Staff Attorney Samantha Lawrence wrote to the district explaining that teaching creationism or intelligent design in public school science classes violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

“Promoting creationism, intelligent design or any of its offshoots in public schools is unlawful because creationism is based solely on religion, not scientific fact,” her letter stated. FFRF noted that the Supreme Court and federal courts have consistently rejected attempts to introduce religious doctrine into public school science classes, including the landmark ruling in Edwards v. Aguillard (1987) and the federal decision in Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District (2005), which struck down policies promoting creationism and intelligent design.

FFRF’s intervention had the desired result. Following its letter, the school system investigated the matter and scrapped the pseudoscience portion of the curriculum.

“Please know that this practice has ceased,” CEO Rob Daugherty wrote in a response to FFRF. “Intelligent design will not be taught in the middle school or in any other James Irwin Charter School as part of a science curriculum.”

The district confirmed that the instruction had occurred sporadically over a period of years but was not part of the official curriculum and had not been known to current administrators until the issue was raised. The school system said it has taken several corrective steps, including halting the instruction, verifying that intelligent design is not taught elsewhere, reviewing lesson plans and instructional materials, and providing additional guidance and training to staff regarding religion in the classroom. The district also plans to adopt formal board action to codify these measures in its curriculum policies.

FFRF is pleased that the district moved quickly to correct the constitutional violation.

“Creationism and intelligent design are religious beliefs, not science,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “Public schools have a constitutional obligation to teach evidence-based science — not promote religious doctrine.”

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with 42,000 members and several chapters nationwide, including more than 1,400 members and two chapters in Colorado. FFRF’s purposes are to defend the constitutional principle of separation between church and state, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.

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