Suffer the little children

As most of you know, but many just don't want to think about it, the Las Cruces Public Schools (LCPS) Board of Education continues its involvement in introducing the Christian religion into the schools. The 'funny' thing is the summer Church (Bible) Camp theme that has been around for years. It's Summer! It's Church (Bible) Camp time!

Now, after being exposed last summer of sponsoring a NASA program for elementary school children with the New Mexico State University Education Department at an evangelical church, the LCPS is at it again. The NMSU Education Department lied about the location being a church and the use reasoning was that it was 'free.' An LCPS policy is that its programs will be held at public school sites for free.

There is an excellent science program named Mad Science that introduces school children to various aspects of science beginning in the elementary schools. From every thing I can tell, there is no religious involvement in the programs, just science. No 'intelligent design.'

Through an obvious backdoor maneuver LCPS has joined El Paso ISD, Texas, to promote various programs of the Mad Science at exclusionary locations - one country club in El Paso; two at churches. One church is a Baptist church in El Paso, the other church is the evangelical Mesilla Valley Christian School (MVCS) in Las Cruces.

All three of the locations are exclusionary and totally inappropriate for 'public' education of children and for programs supposedly for science. The usual programs at the Baptist church are unknown at this time, but an experienced guess would categorize it as 'evangelical.' The Mesilla Valley Christian School is well-known for its bible-based evangelical programs and is decorated inside with religious themes for proselytizing. A very strange place to hold 'public' school science programs.

It is my understanding that MVCS is a promoter of the 'intelligent design' theme. If so, there is a serious conflict about to happen.