Darby, Montana School Board

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Darby, Montana is a small, rural town on US Route 93, which follows the Bitterroot River in the Bitterroot Valley of western Montana. The town is in Ravelli County, Montana, of which Hamilton is the county seat. Darby is 60 miles southwest of Missoula, not far from the Idaho border. To th esouth is the 1.6 million acre Bitterroot National Forest.
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Darby, Montana is a small, rural town on US Route 93, which follows the Bitterroot River in the Bitterroot Valley of western Montana. The town is in Ravelli County, Montana, of which Hamiltion is the county seat. Darby is 60 miles southwest of Missoula, not far from the Idaho border. Nearby is the 1.6 million acre Bitterroot National Forest.
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Some 800 people live in Darby, and the Darby High School has about 180 students. In 2004, Darby became a focus of the national struggle in the US against religious incursions into public-school science classrooms.
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Some 800 people live in Darby, and the Darby High School has some 180 students. In 2004, Darby became a central part of the national struggle in the US against religious incursions into public-school science classrooms.
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== Darby School Board Adopts Anti-Evolution Policy ==
== Darby School Board Adopts Anti-Evolution Policy ==
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== Darby Reacts to Anti-Evolution Policy ==  
== Darby Reacts to Anti-Evolution Policy ==  
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The talk was that the second vote on the policy would take place on 8 March, 2004, and the way the decision would go was the main topic of conversation in Darby.{{ref|jm02}}
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It’s core conversation in the teachers’ lunchroom. Girls’ basketball games have morphed into strategy sessions for parents and teachers. There’s even a curious ''New York Times'' reporter holed up in Bud & Shirley’s Motel.
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Most important for the school is the rumor awash around the south end of the Bitterroot that as many as 30 families may want to yank their children from the Darby school system if the proposal passes. Aware of what could prove a financially (the school receives about $5,000 per student each year) and emotionally devastating blow to the system, school staff are wary of the school board bulling ahead with an “Intelligent Design” curriculum without understanding the ramifications of its actions.
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“Some of our board members aren’t acting in the best interest of the school,” [junior high and high school science teacher Karen] Hedges said. “I think they’re acting out of religious conviction to do the right thing, and that’s a powerful motivator.”
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== Status ==
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Certain that it would be faced with a lawsuit, the Darby School Board planned a meeting for 23 February 2004 to face the matter{{ref|jj05}}:
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Lawyer Bridgette Erickson of Lincoln will talk to the board about the possibility of representing the school district should it be sued over its adoption of an objective origins policy[....]
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Erickson is affiliated with the Alliance Defense Fund of Scottsdale, Ariz., which was founded to "keep the door open to the spread of the Gospel."
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Upset over the direction the school board was headed, the students of Darby High School staged their own protest on 25 Febraury{{ref|bstar01}}:
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Aaron Lebowitz, a senior at Darby High School, disagrees strongly with the Board's proposed new policy. He was instrumental in organizing a student demonstration against the policy that took place last Wednesday. Near the end of the school day close to 50 students left class early to protest the new policy by marching in front of the school, many carrying signs. Lebowitz said in a phone interview that he felt like the students' position on the issue was not being heard. Lebowitz said that he attended every public hearing over the new policy and when he saw people bringing young children in to say that evolution was being "shoved down our throats" he was offended.
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"That really hurt because it is not true," said Lebowitz. "We don't need this policy to question scientific theories in class. We already do that."
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Lebowitz said that he believed it was obvious from the testimony at the hearings that the new policy was aimed at putting religion into the science class.
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March arrived and feelings were still unsettled and the future uncertain{{ref|bstar01a}}:
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The Darby School Board has made the national news over recent efforts to adopt a new policy governing the teaching of evolution in the school.
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Having adopted the policy on first reading following at least three public meetings that brought out a polarized and passionate response from many citizens both in and outside the town, the Board has delayed holding the required second reading which is still not scheduled.
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Rod Miner, co-chair of the Ravalli County Citizens for Science, and Martha Stomberg, his wife and fellow RCCS memeber, wrote an open letter to the Darby school board, published in the ''Ravalli Republic'' on 4 March 2004,{{ref|rmms}} objecting to the "Objective Origins" policy. They conclude by saying:
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You are trustees of the school district's money. If you pass this policy at second reading, you will choose to risk a great deal of the district's money on opposing lawyer's fees and the costs of litigation incurred by both the district and opposing parties. If you pass the policy on second reading you will abrogate your greatest responsibility, the care of our children's education.
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Your uncritical acceptance of the claims of the Rev. Brickley and the Discovery Institute demonstrate to our children the polar opposite of what you are claiming as the intent of this policy, the practice of critical thinking. There is a tremendous amount of available evidence that shows that this policy is wrongly conceived and that the arguments that it substantially rests on are gross distortions and outright lies.
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As school trustees, you can exhibit due diligence and obtain this information yourselves before you give this policy final approval, or you can waste hard-earned taxpayer money to have attorneys and judges bring this evidence to you in a court of law.
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In a report about the letter:{{ref|mm03}}
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"I do not want to make a threat to the board," Miner said Tuesday of the two-page letter. "We want to say to the board, 'You're getting yourself into trouble. There are legal consequences to what you're doing. We can help you avoid this, if you will only let us.' "
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By April, the situation was critical and Darby was even more clearly divided. The second vote on the policy was continually delayed while the school board continued to have meetings discussing the situration. Evidently, the threat of legal action -- and the likely costs to the town that would result -- was a powerful argument against a second "yea" vote.
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On 7 April, protesters rallied at the Darby Fire Hall and carried their signs as they marched to the elementary school cafeteria, where the school board was meeting:{{ref|jj06}}
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"The major issue that people are really upset about is the school board's lack of interest in how they're affecting this community," said Kate Duggan, who founded Darby Taxpayers Against Court Costs and spearheaded the rally. "Hopefully, people are going to pay attention."
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The Darby School District is on the verge of at least two lawsuits on two different fronts. A Darby couple has threatened to sue the district if it passes the second reading of the objective origins policy, and the Ravalli Republic is ready to take action against the board for closing meetings that it believes should have been open to the public.
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Amid the controversy, many community members directly blame Chairwoman Gina Schallenberger, who closed the meetings as presiding officer and is among the three-person majority that voted for the objective origins policy.
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While Schallenberger is up for re-election next month, Duggan's organization and one protest sign called for her to step down.
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"Darby's a small community," Duggan said. "We've been giving the board the benefit of the doubt and unfortunately, we've been stepped on along the way."
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The prevaricating school board now faced two possible lawsuits, and two of the school board seats were to be determined by an election the next month.
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== A Contentious School-Board Election ==
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Not surprisingly, the "objective origins" policy was a major issue in the campaign for the shool-board seats in the election to be held on 4 May 2004. In the original field of candidates, 3 opposed to the "objective origins" policy, and 2 in favor of the policy, were running for 2 seats.
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On 27 April, Bill LaCroix, one of the candidates opposed to the policy, withdrew from the race. In an open letter he explained:{{ref|blc}}
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Before my withdrawal, there were five candidates vying for two open seats on the board. Two of those candidates are conservative ministers who have a history of trying to force a narrowly focused religious and social agenda on our kids through school boards.
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Cary Monaco led the unsuccessful effort in Hamilton last year to ban the reading of "I know Why The Caged Bird Sings" by our high school students. Harris Himes offered to help the Darby School Board find a "free" lawyer when they passed their objective origins policy and found themselves facing the possibility of multiple lawsuits.
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That left three candidates for voters who do not think that forcing "strong Bible tenets" (Mr. Monaco's words) on our kids with our tax dollars is a good idea. Each voter may cast two votes for the two open seats, which means that while the two ministers will not have to split the inevitable block vote of those who favor their divisive social agenda, the majority of voters who do not want to see the mess in Darby brought to Hamilton will have to split their two votes three ways. I wish to narrow that choice to two.
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After participating in the League of Women Voters "Meet the Candidates" forum last Tuesday, I believe the central issues in this critical school board election are now crystal-clear to the community. At that forum, Rev. Himes evoked Hitler and Stalin to describe the hard-working and dedicated professionals who educate our children. Rev. Monaco threw in "extreme environmentalists" and "homosexual activists."
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Clearly, the election issues were well resolved and the election seen as a referendum on the school-board policy to be settled by the 2,152 registered voters.{{ref|jj07}} Those supporting a rational approach to science curricula won a resounding victory.{{ref|jj08}}
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Voters flocked to the polls Tuesday to cast decisive votes in both the Hamilton and Darby school board elections.
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Preliminary counts showed incumbent Bob Wetzsteon and Erik Abrahamsen with a 42 percent lead over incumbent Gina Schallenberger and Robert House in the Darby school board race for two three-year terms.
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Wins by Abrahamsen and Wetzsteon make a weighty change on the school board, shifting the tide against the controversial objective origins science policy. Both candidates don't support the policy that passed first reading but now teeters on extinction. Voters spoke out casting votes for the pair 2-to-1 over Schallenberger and House, who support the policy.
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The co-chair of the RCCS expressed relief{{ref|bg02}}
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"I am delighted and it will be really nice to see a spirit of team playing return to the Darby school board," Rod Miner said. "We worked so hard to stop this thing short of a lawsuit. I am just very, very pleased."
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At the same time, there was motion in the second lawsuit against the schoolboard{{ref|mm04}}:
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The board had also recently been fractured as it looked for a new superintendent to replace the outgoing Jack Eggensperger, who decided to quit in part because of the science policy. The board repeatedly closed meetings regarding the superintendent candidates and was sued by the Ravalli Republic newspaper for allegedly violating the state's open meeting law.
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In that case, Ravalli County District Judge Jeff Langton recently slapped the board with a preliminary injunction prohibiting trustees from erasing minutes from those closed meetings. The Republic specifically identified Schallenberger in its suit, claiming she closed the meetings illegally.
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</blockquote>
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== Resolution ==
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On 7 July 2004, Jenny Johnson, who had been covering the story for the ''Ravalli Republic'', was able to write:{{ref|jj09}}
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The objective origins science policy that churned in Darby for more than six months is extinct.
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"Today the community is beaming with relief," said trustee Mary Lovejoy. School board trustees voted 3-2 Monday against the policy in second reading.
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In early 2005, the Montana State Legislature briefly considered two opposing bills concerning the status of evolutionary biology in the science classroom, but both bills soon died without a vote.{{ref|bg03}}
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Thus, for the moment, the last word goes to Darby resident and parent Eli Hansen:{{ref|jj10}}
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"Science is taught carefully. Science is science."
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</blockquote>
== Notes ==
== Notes ==
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#{{note|mm02}}Michael Moore, [http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2004/02/03/news/top/news01.txt "Darby schools OK 'objective origins'"], ''The Missoulian'' [MT], 3 February 2004.
#{{note|mm02}}Michael Moore, [http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2004/02/03/news/top/news01.txt "Darby schools OK 'objective origins'"], ''The Missoulian'' [MT], 3 February 2004.
#{{note|bg01}}Associated press, [http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2004/02/03/build/state/50-darby-evolution.inc  "State education chief: Darby school policy not science"], ''Billings [MT] Gazette'', 3 February 2004.
#{{note|bg01}}Associated press, [http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2004/02/03/build/state/50-darby-evolution.inc  "State education chief: Darby school policy not science"], ''Billings [MT] Gazette'', 3 February 2004.
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#{{note|jm02}}Josh Mahan, [http://www.missoulanews.com/News/News.asp?no=3881 "What would Jesus teach? Darby weighs the consequences of 'Intelligent Design'"], ''Missoula Independent'', c. 24 February 2004.
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#{{note|jj05}}Jenny Johnson, [http://www.ravallinews.com/articles/2004/02/23/news/news02.txt "Darby School Board prepares for potential lawsuit; meeting set with lawyer: Tuesday's meeting is 7 p.m. at Darby Junior High School"], ''Ravalli Republic'' [MT], 23 February 2004.
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#{{note|bstar01}}Michael Howell, [http://www.bitterrootstar.com/backissues/3_3_04/pageone.html#darby "Darby in spotlight over 'origins' policy"], The Bitterroot Star, XIX:32, 3 March 2004.
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#{{note|bstar01a}}''Loc. cit.''
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#{{note|rmms}}Rod Miner and Martha Stomberg, [http://www.ravallinews.com/articles/2004/03/04/opinion/viewpoint/valley.txt "Objective origins policy will be challenged"], an open letter to the Darby School Board, published in the ''Ravalli Republic'' [MT], 4 March, 2004.
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#{{note|mm03}}Michael Moore, [http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2004/03/03/news/local/news02.txt "Darby couple readies 'objective origins' lawsuit"], ''The Missoulian'' [MT], 3 March 2004.
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#{{note|jj06}}Jenny Johnson, [http://www.ravallinews.com/articles/2004/04/07/news/news01.txt "Speaking out: Protesters voice concern at Darby School Board meeting"], ''Ravalli Republic'' [MT], 7 April 2004.
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#{{note|blc}}Bill LaCroix, [http://www.ravallinews.com/articles/2004/04/28/opinion/viewpoint/valley.txt "School board candidate withdraws from race"], ''Ravalli Republic'' [MT], 27 April 2004.
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#{{note|jj07}}Jenny Johnson, [http://www.ravallinews.com/articles/2004/04/28/news/news02.txt "Darby divided?: Signs signal schism over school board election"}, ''Ravalli Republic'' [MT], 28 April 2004.
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#{{note|jj08}}Jenny Johnson, [http://www.ravallinews.com/articles/2004/05/05/news/news02.txt "Tide turns on origins policy: Winners vow to change"], ''Ravalli Republic'' [MT], 5 May 2004.
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#{{note|bg02}}Associated press, [http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?tl=1&display=rednews/2004/05/06/build/state/40-darby-creationists.inc "Darby rejects 2 candidates backing 'objective origins'"], ''Billings [MT] Gazette'', 6 May 2004.
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#{{note|mm04}}Michael Moore, [http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2004/05/05/news/mtregional/news06.txt "Darby rejects 'objective origins' supporters"], ''The Missoulian'' [MT], 5 May 2004.
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#{{note|jj09}}Jenny Johnson, [http://www.ravallinews.com/articles/2004/07/07/news/news02.txt "Darby School Board puts objective origins to rest"], ''Ravalli Republic'' [MT], 7 July 2004.
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#{{note|bg03}}John Fitzgerald, [http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2005/06/22/build/state/25-evolution.inc "Review of science education could spur evolution debate"], ''Billings [MT] Gazette'', 22 June 2005.
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#{{note|jj10}}Johnson, 7 July 2004, ''op. cit.''
== Other Sources ==
== Other Sources ==

Current revision as of 22:18, 1 November 2005

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