Florida school evolution conflict delayed

Florida officials reportedly will postpone revising the state's new science-education standards for a year, delaying an explosive evolution debate.

State education officials had planned to revise the standards next year, but a spokeswoman for State Education Commissioner John Winn blamed delays in updating math and language arts standards for postponing science to 2007 or 2008.

"It's definitely not going to be when we anticipated in fall of '06," said Jennifer Fennell.

That delay will postpone the debate over how to teach evolution, creation and intelligent design until after Gov. Jeb Bush's successor is elected next year, the Miami Herald reported Thursday.

The two leading Democratic candidates have opposed intelligent design in public school science classes while one Republican candidate said it could be caught in a science class, and another said it might be offered in an elective class.

Fennell denies the delay is politically motivated.

Copyright 2005 by United Press International