Texas Education Agency Firing Over Creationism E-Mail Upheld
A federal appeals court has upheld the dismissal of the Texas Education Agency's science-curriculum director for violating the agency's policy requiring "neutrality" on curriculum deliberations by sending e-mail critical of creationism.
Christina Castillo Comer, the science director for TEA's curriculum division from 1998 until her 2007 termination, violated the policy by forwarding an e-mail about an event in Austin, Texas, called "Inside Creationism's Trojan Horse."
The e-mail noted that a speaker would make a presentation critical of teaching creationism in public schools. Comer responded to the e-mail by promising to "help get the word out," and she forwarded the e-mail from her TEA account to 36 science teachers in the Austin area and leaders of science teacher groups.
Comer's supervisor determined that the science director had violated the neutrality policy, which bars TEA employees from expressing opinions about policy positions being weighed by the Texas State Board of Education. In recent years, the state board has been debating the role of evolution and creationism in the state science curriculum.
Comer had been disciplined once before for disclosing internal information, and after the creationism e-mail, she was forced to resign. Comer sued the TEA,