A small bit of good news for Texas education.
Henry Morris III, the CEO of the Institute for Creation Research, has announced the end of the school’s fight with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
In 2008, after the board denied the institute’s request for authority to offer a master’s degree in science education, the Dallas-based Christian institution filed a lawsuit. In June, a U.S. District Court ruled against the institute, upholding the board right to refuse the certification.
U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks, assigned to hear the case, complained that he had requested a “a short and plain statement of the relief requested,” but that the plaintiff was “entirely unable to file a complaint which is not overly verbose, disjointed, incoherent, maundering, and full of irrelevant information.”
At the time of the decision, an institute spokesman issued a statement saying, “The attorneys and leadership of ICR associated with this case are currently reviewing Judge Sparks’ ruling and we are weighing our options regarding future action in this matter.”
You should go back and read about the original case, and Judge Sparks’ ruling in it, since it covers some interesting ground. There’s more from the NCSE about the original ruling and the concession as well. The bottom line is that the ICR can teach whatever it wants, but the state of Texas doesn’t have to officially recognize it.