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School board that backed intelligent design ousted

Wednesday, November 09, 2005
By Tracie Mauriello, Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau

Challengers unseated eight out of nine Dover Board of Education members yesterday in a tight race that centered on the issue whether the theory of intelligent design has a place in science classes.

The ninth member of the York County school board was not up for re-election.

The eight board members unseated were all are proponents of a policy -- now the subject of a federal court case -- requiring high school freshmen to hear a statement about intelligent design before biology lessons about evolution.

The challengers, who said the policy violated the constitutional requirement for separation of church and state, are not expected to revamp the biology curriculum right away.

"They want to have a discussion with the community and see the results of the court case. They are very interested in community input," said Sharon Wetzel, spokeswoman for Dover CARES, the slate of challengers.

Intelligent design advocates hold that life's development is too complex to be explained by natural evolution unguided by a higher power.

The trial, which brought yesterday's election into the national spotlight, was the talk of the town and overshadowed the candidates' attempts to run on other platforms.

"Everybody is making this the No. 1 issue and we think ... other things are more important," said Phillip Herman, a Democrat who ran with Dover CARES.

That's something both slates agreed on.

"The voters were so mixed up with the intelligent-design case that it's been tough for us to get our message out about anything else," said ousted member David Napierskie.

That was reflected on the campus of York College, where students discussed the trial and the election both in and out of classes, said Melvin Kulbicki, chairman of the political science department.

"This trial had the effect of galvanizing and polarizing a community," Dr. Kulbicki said.

Eight families sued the school system, saying intelligent design was another term for creationism and that inserting it in public schools violates the constitutional requirement for separation of church and state.

Testimony wrapped up Friday and a decision is expected by January. The new board members are to be sworn in Dec. 5.

It was unclear last night whether turnover on the board would render any court decision moot. That would be up to the trial judge, John E. Jones III.

"If he does declare this one moot, you're going to be hearing about other cases in other federal courts throughout the land," said Kevin Alan Lewis, who has been following the case from La Mirada, Calif, where he is assistant professor of law and theology at Biola University. "This case will have ramifications for people in every state."

In York, testimony from incumbent Alan Bonsell, the board's former president, may have ruined any chance his slate had of pulling through yesterday's election.

In sworn depositions, Mr. Bonsell said he didn't know the source of Dover High School's books promoting intelligent design, but William Buckingham, a former board member, testified that he handed $850 to Mr. Bonsell so his father, Donald Bonsell, could buy the books.

Mr. Buckingham was caught in a blunder. as well. During a deposition he had said he didn't know where the $850 came from but in court he testified his church raised the money.

"The incumbents have not done a good job making their case because they can't seem to remember anything," Dr. Kulbicki said.