Idaho lawmakers try to weaken climate change language in school science standards again

Despite the Idaho Department of Education's effort to carefully craft education standards on climate change over the last year, lawmakers in the state's House Education Committee remain skeptical of teaching students that human-caused global warming exists.

A year ago, the Idaho House Education Committee approved science standards for schools, but excluded five paragraphs related to climate change. As the Inlander wrote in June, it meant Idaho was the first state where lawmakers had successfully removed the teaching of climate science from curriculum requirements. And the decision last February came with comments from Rep. Scott Syme (R-Caldwell) about the need to cover "both sides of the debate" when it comes to human-caused global warming, in spite of the scientific consensus on the topic.

Little has changed this year. This week, the House Education Committee approved a set of climate standards with some discussion of climate change, but they rejected supporting content dealing with climate change and human impact on the environment, as well as a section on nonrenewable sources of energy.

The state's Senate Education Committee will have its own say in the standards. But if they're approved as they were in the House, says Glenn Branch, deputy director of the National Center for Science Education, it "would be a problem for teachers."

Read more: https://www.inlander.com/Bloglander/archives/2018/02/09/idaho-lawmakers-try-to-weaken-climate-change-language-in-school-science-standards-again