House Bill 586

AN ACT TO REQUIRE LOCAL SCHOOL BOARDS TO INCLUDE AN INSTRUCTIONAL LESSON ON THE EVOLUTION OF HUMANITY IN ITS HIGH SCHOOL BIOLOGY CURRICULUM, WHICH SHALL BE TAUGHT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE BIOLOGY COURSE; TO REQUIRE THAT THE CURRICULUM BE BASED ON CERTAIN EVIDENTIARY FACTS AND SCIENTIFIC DATA; TO REQUIRE THAT THE LESSON NOT BE BIASED THROUGH SELECTIVE INSTRUCTION; TO REQUIRE THAT THE LESSON HAVE EQUAL INSTRUCTION FROM EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS THAT PRESENT ARGUMENTS FROM BOTH PROTAGONISTS AND ANTAGONISTS OF THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION; TO AMEND SECTION 37-11-63, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE THAT ANY DISCUSSION OF THE EVOLUTION OF HUMANITY MUST BE GIVEN BY A BIOLOGY TEACHER; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. Beginning with the 2010-2011 school year, each local school board shall require that an instructional lesson on the evolution of humanity be included in its high school biology curriculum, which shall be taught at the beginning of the biology course. The curriculum must be based on the relevant evidentiary facts and scientific data on the subject of evolution. The lesson provided to students shall not evidence bias through selective instruction on the theory of evolution, but rather, shall have proportionately equal instruction from educational materials that present scientifically sound arguments by protagonists and antagonists of the theory of evolution.

SECTION 2. Section 37-11-63, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

37-11-63. No local school board, school superintendent or school principal shall prohibit a public school classroom teacher from discussing and answering questions from individual students on the origin of life, except that any discussion of the evolution of humanity shall be required to be given by a biology teacher, as required by Section 1 of this act.

SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2010.