The Gull Lake School Board has essentially decided to brush off a threatened lawsuit from the Thomas More Law Center on behalf of two teachers who say they have a right to teach intelligent design creationism in their science classrooms. Lisa Swem, attorney for the school district, is saying that the school will continue with its current policy of having a committee meet and decide on how to proceed regardless of the TMLC's threats. That committee, as I previously reported, has already met and ruled against the teachers on a 5-2 vote, which should have ended the whole thing according to what everyone had agreed upon beforehand. So it's sort of an old-fashioned stalemate that puts the ball back in the court of the TMLC. Will they file the suit or won't they? Stay tuned.
To be a successful litigator, your three most developed skills must be (1) case selection, (2) case selection and (3) case selection. Quite often, "case selection" reduces to "client selection." Assuming the legal advisors to the TMLC may be presumed to be rational actors, it seems like a good time for the school board to call their bluff.
It would also be a good time for scientists and friends of education to rally to the side of the school board, to thank them for standing up for high academic standards, to thank them for standing up for the kids' right to a quality education, etc., etc.
Where do we send thank-you letters to the board? What's the address of the local newspaper?
You can find contact information at the school's website: http://www.gulllakecs.org/.