Montana Public Radio reports:
A bill in the state Legislature seeking to regulate science curriculum in public schools got its first hearing Monday. The legislation’s sponsor says by banning scientific theories, the policy aims to prevent kids from being taught things that aren’t true.
More than 20 people testified against Senate Bill 235, concerned that it could keep teachers from including gravitational theory, evolution and cell theory in curriculum.
The bill is sponsored by freshman Republican Senator Daniel Emrich from Great Falls. In his testimony, Emrich said the bill would make sure students are taught what a scientific fact is.
The Daily Montanan reports:
Several Montana middle- and high-school students said Monday that a lawmaker did not correctly interpret scientific theory and that his bill would ban common theories, like gravity, from being taught in schools – hampering their education and futures in STEM fields.
They, along with several award-winning Montana science teachers and representatives from the Board of Public Education and other organizations, testified in opposition to Sen. Daniel Emrich’s Senate Bill 235 in its first hearing Monday at the Senate Education and Cultural Resources Committee.
The bill from the Great Falls Republican seeks to create a new portion of law that states that all science education “may not include subject matter that is not scientific fact.” It would also have school boards review all science materials to be sure they only use “scientific fact” in a “strictly enforced and narrowly interpreted” fashion.
As you can see below, Emrich is spreading QAnon anti-vax batshittery on Twitter.
I’m having flashbacks to creationists misrepresenting what is meant by a scientific theory to attack the theory of evolution two decades ago.🙄 https://t.co/hwDPVUdRga
— David Gorski, MD, PhD (@gorskon) February 8, 2023
.@MTGOP can’t science. Good thing some high school students were available to educate them as they testified in opposition to Sen. Daniel Emrich’s bill establishing that scientific instruction be limited to scientific fact.#mtpolhttps://t.co/iLHoKTeTeD
— Tiffany Torres Williams (@TiffanysVersion) February 8, 2023
How to show you don’t understand science without saying you don’t understand science.
Montana Senator Plots To End Scientific Theory In Schools https://t.co/6VoYjH1P9N @BigStack1039
— Kevin Wolbach (@WolbachK) February 9, 2023
The military is covering up the biggest event in medical history
They must be held to accounthttps://t.co/XGiBBkPq5d
— Daniel Emrich (@diamond_yoda) February 7, 2022
This is so much worse than anyone thought how may elections have been stolen? https://t.co/D5NNKxEm4u
— Daniel Emrich (@diamond_yoda) September 9, 2021
Fully Vaccinated… https://t.co/qNDccYuv5x
— Daniel Emrich (@diamond_yoda) October 8, 2022