Creationism's New Trojan Horse

School vouchers that give students public tax dollars to attend private or parochial schools are creationism's new Trojan Horse. In schools across the country, millions of dollars in public money is funding the teaching of creationism, and this public money is even finding its way to the Creation Museum.

Working with MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry Show, I exposed over 300 schools in nine states and the District of Columbia teaching creationism, and receiving tens of millions of dollars, maybe even hundreds of millions, in public money, through these voucher programs.

Three of the most egregious schools MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry Show highlighted were:

• Liberty Christian School, in Anderson, Indiana, has field trips to the Creation Museum and students learn from the creationist A Beka curriculum.
• Creekside Christian Academy in McDonough, Georgia says,"The universe, a direct creation of God, refutes the man-made idea of evolution. Students will be called upon to see the divine order of creation and its implications on other subject areas."
• Rocky Bayou Christian School, in Niceville, Florida, says in its section on educational philosophy, "Man is presumed to be an evolutionary being shaped by matter, energy, and chance... God commands His people not to teach their children the way of the heathen."

Voucher advocates argue our students will get a better education in these private schools. That is not true. Teaching our students creationism is wrong. American citizens must stand up and demand that their state governments stop funding creationism with public money. We must advocate against the passage of voucher programs in states like Tennessee and Texas who are considering creating voucher programs. We must teach evidence based science and not fund voucher schools which will fail our students.

Zack Kopplin is a student at Rice University and is one of the leading voices against teaching creationism.