September 16th, 2008
Royal Society educator resigns, advocated creationism in science class
Prof. Michael Reiss has been forced to resign his position as education director of the Royal Society, after making controversial remarks that creationism should be taught in science classes, the Times of London reports.
The Society originally stood by Reiss but eventually came to feel his comments had damaged the Society. It said in a statement:
“Some of Professor Michael Reiss’s recent comments, on the issue of creationism in schools, while speaking as the Royal Society’s director of education, were open to misinterpretation. While it was not his intention, this has led to damage to the society’s reputation. As a result, Professor Reiss and the Royal Society have agreed that, in the best interests of the society, he will step down immediately as director of education — a part-time post he held on secondment. He is to return, full-time, to his position as Professor of Science Education at the Institute of Education.”
Some educators believe Reiss’s statements were taken out of context but that the resignation was proper, nonetheless. Said Chris Higgins of Durham University:
“While I have no doubt that Michael Reiss’s comments have been misinterpreted by parts of the media, I think that the fact that he has generously stood down allows the Royal Society to clarify the robust position on this issue. There should be no room for doubt that creationism is completely unsupportable as a theory.”
