Dover School District Brings Intelligent Design Advocate to School Board.
The school board’s newest member is a member of one of the three families who wish to present their views in support of the school district in the current lawsuit.
The Dover Area School District has named James Cashman, a supporter of the teaching of intelligent design, to serve on the school board in place of Angie Yingling, who resigned last month.
Cashman is well-aware of the current challenges facing the Dover Area School Board. He is a member of one of the three families who made a request to intervene in the current lawsuit against the district.
Last October, the Dover Area School Board approved a measure requiring ninth-grade biology teachers to read a statement on intelligent design before beginning evolution lessons. The statement is meant to teach about alternatives to the theory of evolution.
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Eight families, backed by the American Civil Liberties Union, filed a lawsuit against the school board, arguing that intelligent design, the idea that the universe is so complex that there must be a central creating force, is just a secular form of creationism. They contend that the teaching of intelligent design violates the separation of church and state.
Last week, three families asked a judge if they could intervene and present their views as parents who support the teaching of intelligent design in the classroom. The judge has yet to issue his decision on the request.
Cashman will assume his position on the school board and plans to run for a permanent seat later this year.
