Public elementary school invited in creationists to teach children dinosaurs rode on Noah’s Ark

Parents are upset with an Effingham, Illinois elementary school after it invited a group of creationists to give a presentation children, which included lessons claiming that dinosaurs were among the animals on the biblical Noah’s Ark.

This Saturday, Central Grade School hosted an event billed as educational presentation on dinosaurs that even included actual dinosaur fossils. But according to a local NBC affiliate, parents who attended the presentation soon found out that it wasn’t what it initially seemed.

WAND17 reports that parents were shocked to see the group who gave the presentation start to make statements that went were unscientific and promoted religion.

“[The presenters claimed] tyrannosaurus rexes ate vegetables,” parent Jeanette Bushur said. “[They said] there were dinosaurs with Noah on the ark and that evolution was a myth.”

It turns out that the people making the presentation were from the nonprofit group Creation Truth Foundation, an organization that, amongst other things, claims the teaching of evolution is to blame for the nation’s high divorce rate.

According to parents, fliers that promoted the event didn’t indicate that it was intended to promote biblical creationism, an ideology that claims the earth is anywhere from 6,000 to 10,000 years old and that dinosaurs co-existed with humans — all claims that are meant to promote the literal interpretation of the creation story from the book of Genesis.

In a letter to the Effingham Daily News, Effingham resident Brian Poelker slammed the school for bringing in such a fraudulent organization and for failing to reveal the nature of the group beforehand. Poelker, who’s a science professor at Easter Illinois University, said the presentation “undermined the Illinois Science Education Standards, which the school district is required to meet.”

“Facts” from the talk – a young 6000 year-old earth, dinosaurs and man walked together, and Tyrannosaurus rex was a grazer – are in direct opposition to the State Science Practice and Content Standards.

Our elementary school teachers have the difficult task of laying down the science foundation for our children. The Standards are in place to help these young students become scientifically literate as they progress through the grade levels. The school board and administration needs to provide the guidance and materials to help students, through their teachers, meet the requirements of the Illinois State Science Standards.

You can watch Wand17’s report on the story by clicking here.

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Sky Palma

Before launching DeadState back in 2012, Sky Palma has been blogging about politics, social issues and religion for over a decade. He lives in Los Angeles and also enjoys Brazilian jiu jitsu, chess, music and art.