Date: Wed Jun 01 1994 01:43:54 Subj: ACLU suit... ACLU Suing to Keep Religion out of

Date:   Wed Jun 01 1994  01:43:54
From:   Todd Rourke
Subj:   ACLU suit...

ACLU Suing to Keep Religion out of schools

05/24/1994
   PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The American Civil Liberties Union is suing a
suburban school district on behalf of two students, alleging a school
employee taught the story of Adam and Eve and other parts of the Bible
in biology class.    ACLU attorneys said they filed the lawsuit Monday
in U.S. District Court in an effort to get area schools to curtail
religious teachings, which have been on the rise during the last 18
months.
   The lawsuit says an employee of the suburban Moon Area School
District told ninth-grade students on March 16 that God created the
world as recounted in the book of Genesis. He said the universe is only
6,000 years old, and said death was unknown until Adam and Eve ate the
forbidden apple.
   Warren Kooi, technology coordinator for the school district, was a
guest speaker in the biology class during his day off.
   School officials say students learned creationism after a lesson on
evolution.
   "This was presented as what a creation scientist presents. Here's
what proves it. Here's what disproves it," said Lee Price, attorney for
the school district.    The lawsuit seeks a cash award for one of the
students and seeks to block creationism lessons next year, when the
other will be a ninth-grader.    The ACLU said the U.S. Supreme Court
prohibits the teaching of creationism as science and forbids religious
education at public schools.