Student Suspended Over Evolution Slur

A seventh grade student at a south central Kansas junior high school has been suspended after implying that a classmate was descended from monkeys. School officials say that the student's two-week suspension was merited by the seriousness of the offense. 

Classmates say student is member of an outlaw group called the "Biology Club"

By Cole Walters, Education Correspondent

PRATT, KS—A junior high school student in this south central Kansas town has been suspended after he implied that a classmate was descended from monkeys. School officials say that they moved to suspend 14 year-old Cody DuFresne after confiscating what they describe as an "evolutionary slur" from his locker. The student had drawn a crude version of the alleged path of primate evolution, depicting a fellow student, 14 year-old Melanie Carthage, as a direct descendent of apes. [Click thumbnail to enlarge image.]

DuFresne has been banned from setting foot on school property during the two weeks of his suspension. For that period, he will attend an alternative school in Pratt for students who've been suspended, expelled, committed crimes or are chronically truant.

Not just monkey business
Liberty Junior High School principal Marty Hamlin says that officials felt that they had no choice but to make an example of DuFresne. "Saying someone is descended from monkeys is about the worst thing you can say about that person. It's as bad as saying that someone's mother is a prostitute, or telling someone that they're adopted when they're not."

Hamlin notes that this is the first time in the school's history that a student has received such a lengthy suspension for penning an offensive cartoon. A two-week ban from school property is more typically meted out to students who come to school intoxicated, are found to have drugs on their persons, or bring knives or other sharp weapons onto school grounds.

An evolving dispute
It's not clear where DuFresne got the idea to draw the crude evolutionary chart. The controversial theory of evolution has not been taught in science classes here since the Kansas State Board of Education voted to remove evolution as a key concept in the state's science curriculum. Board members are currently debating theories that might be taught in place of evolution, including "intelligent design," the belief certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection. Also under consideration: creation science, the widely-accepted theory that the history of the world dates back 6000 years, and that man and dinosaur once roamed the earth side-by-side.

But some students at Liberty Junior High School say that they aren't surprised that their classmate ended up running afoul of school administrators. DuFresne, they point out, is known to associate with a group of students who go by the moniker "the Biology Club," and are adherents of the notorious British naturalist Charles Darwin.

Members of the club typically keep to themselves, says seventh grader Katee Danzig. "They wear a lot of black and eat at their own table in the cafeteria," says Danzig. "They're a little creepy."

Suspending judgment
School officials say that they're hoping that DuFresne's suspension will demonstrate that when it comes to evolutionary slurs, Liberty Junior High has a zero tolerance policy. "We enforce 'zero tolerance' on a daily basis here whether it's for students who are bringing firearms to school or selling cocaine or chrystal meth on school property," says principal Hamlin. "Now we're going to take evolution-related slurs just as seriously. Be forewarned, if you're going to say that someone is related to a monkey here at Liberty you're going to pay a steep price."

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Comments

[god]

nice depiction of my plan kid, keep up the god werk ------------dad

[Michael S Fitzpatrick]

Evolution and Creationism aside, I have problems with it from a legal position. First, they did a locker search and found it in his locker. The laws of search and siesure are clear, noone may look for anything other than the item being searched for. I seriously dought that they went to lockers that day looking for evolutionary drawings by their students. It was more likely for those items that would violate school policy like weapons or drugs, not a cartoon drawing.

Second, It seems to me his constitutional rights of the freedom of speech has been violated. In this country we all have the right to voice ourselves and to have that voice respected by point of law. We may not agree with it, as I don't agree with evolution from a science point of view, but I respect the fact that we live in a Nation where others who hold different opinions can do so free from reprisal. I would also argue that since evolution has proven to be more theory than fact, that a violation of religious freedom occured. His position that we evolved is an atheistic view and is since protected by freedom of religion. Someone get this kid a good defense attorney.

Finally, for the state of Kansas, all you have shown was that out of all 50 States you are the only one that has slid backwards on the evolutionary scale.
Without any other theory about the evolution of man recognized by the educational programming of your state, how can you suspend someone for drawing what his biology class teaches. I have seen the drawing, I rather thought it was a good attempt.

Michael S Fitzpatrick

[Michelle]

This site is unbelievable!! If feel sorry that those poor Kansas people who are so ignorant. Why don't you people open your mind a bit and realize the truth about evolution...it doesn't come from the bible, sorry to shock you all!!

[LACY R BETHEA JR]

Well, what a joke? Don't these people know that Separation of Church and State is? In Kiev Ukraine, a rather large statue in stainless steel was erected to the mothers during the Great Patriotic War WWII).
A few years ago, the Orthodox Church in Keiv required the State (Ukraine) to reduce the length of the raised
sword so the Cross atop the Orthodox Church would be higher.
In many European Countries, the Religion of the Country tells the State what they are to do.
The Church of England is headed by the Ruling Monarch! That's why we came to America in the 1600s.
Thanks, L R Bethea Jr Tucson Az

[Kevin Lyon]

Oh lord where do I start. I would like to assume this to be a joke...But I know it is likely true. I'll just do the best I can at making some since out of this mesh of inaccuracies and ignorance.

First off...granted that was a kind of mean thing to do...drawing a monkey picture of a fellow student so as to imply he is some kind of a throwback. But can one really place this on the same level as calling ones mother a prostitute! Seriously I do not see the similarities. But even in the case of such extreme name calling I do not see that a two week suspension is appropriate. That seems utterly ridiculous and it is this lack of judgment and extreme overreaction by an educational authority that bothers me most. But now to the educational part of this post.

Evolution, more specifically the theory of natural selection, IS NOT A CONTROVERSIAL THEORY! It is accepted by pretty much everyone who is educated on the matter every bit as much as special and general relativity, Thermodynamics, or basic Electrodynamics theory. Secondly, there ARE CURRENTLY NO COMPETING THEORIES as to how life came to be on this planet. Creationism is a belief more or less regarding WHO is responsible for our world and perhaps WHY it was created but makes no effort to describe HOW it was done. Evolutionary theory, like all scientific theories, is concerned with understanding the mechanics of HOW life came to its present state on this earth. If one wishes to believe that God did it, that is fine, however God did it through natural selection. This much can be and is accepted as fact.

That concludes our lesson for today. Now would someone clear something up for me? What exactly is an "evolution slur"? If it truly is as bad as crack cocaine and the like I would like to be educated regarding them so as to keep my children safe.

Kevin Lyon

[Keith]

is this america?

[Tim]

I sure hope you're joking, Avery Ant. That's like saying, "if children come from grown-ups, how come there are still grown-ups?"

[Kevin Ross]

I doubt the student was black, they would have said racism then.
I went to bv high school in kansas, and was suspended for wearing a bad religion t-shirt, on the way to the office I passed a kid wearing a rebel flag.
The next day the teacher who reported me, asked me to drop out of school.
Like I said this is kansas.
The t-shirt had only two words on it, bad religion. And the picture was of a cross with a circle and line through it. The real irony here is that kansas actualy has extended student rights-in their state constitution. It states that in order to ban one side of an issue they must ban the other. Think about it, that means that they have to suspend a kid who says that you where created now.
Plus the school can't reveil a underaged kids name without written consent from the parent, just like the police. So they broke another law. Top this off with "making an example" of a kid for drawing a picture of evolution, and we are talkig aclu lawsuit.
Does anyone have this kids address,if so send it to me. I'll give it to Millen (head of the kansas bar), and send it to the aclu.

[James]

I wonder if the young girl is Black and if DuFrense is White,,,,

[roy]

umm. to say evoultion does not take place is foolish.

[mistah charley, ph.d.]

i DON'T think this should be marked as "satire"

in the bible a disciple asks jesus why he teaches in parables - he replies, "so that those who are gonna get it, GET it - and so those who aren't gonna get it, DON'T get it"

get it?

[p.s. i really do have a ph.d., although "charley" is not the name on my birth certificate]

[Magnus Bathory]

This whole evolution thing has been tackled by many and fumbled by all. Ranting Ant, Avery Ant wonders, "If we evolved from apes, how come there still are apes? Did the ones remaining just forget to evolve or were they sick that day? You know, on Evolution Day..."

Avery's also currently running for Pope and there’s gonna be Hell to pay! We pray we can count on your misguided vote. Hey, he’s a little better than Satan. Check out the Pope Pitch Video and all the Pope Poop. It’s like the old song says…

“When the moral judging is done
Oh, Popes, just wanna have fun...”

http://www.averyant.com/VoteAveryforPope.htm

[Jim]

Hillarious! And a bit frightening.

You should mark this 'satire' somewhere. Kansas is just messed up enough that people will believe it's true.