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 about 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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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.{{note|jj08}}
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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.
Voters flocked to the polls Tuesday to cast decisive votes in both the Hamilton and Darby school board elections.
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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."
"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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== Resolution ==
== 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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== 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, [ "What would Jesus teach? Darby weighs the consequences of 'Intelligent Design'"], ''Missoula Independent'', c. 24 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.
#{{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.
#{{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.
#{{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.
#{{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|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.
#{{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.
#{{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.
#{{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, [ "Darby divided?: Signs signal schism over school board election"}, ''Ravalli Republic'' [MT], 28 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.  
#{{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.
#{{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.
#{{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.
#{{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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