Ohio State Board Removes Language In Standards Questioning Evolution

In the second major blow in as many months to the forces seeking to subject evolution to greater skepticism and scrutiny in science classrooms, the Ohio state board of education has voted to strip language from its academic standards that encourages students to "critically analyze" the established biological theory.

The board decided in an 11-4 vote on Feb. 14 to revise Ohio's academic content standards to delete that wording, which was the subject of heated debate when it was added to the influential document in 2002.

"This was a win for science, a win for students, and a win for the state of Ohio," said board member Martha W. Wise, who led the campaign to remove the...