Information from Minnesota Newspaper on Cheri Yecke Challenged

The blog of Florida Citizens for Science (of which I am a board member) is reporting that “Dr. Cheri Pierson Yecke, K-12 chancellor for Florida’s Department of Education, has apparently hired a company called ReputationDefender to search the Internet for information about her and, on her behalf, challenge items she disputes.”

You can find more on the particular item in dispute here. Dr. Wesley Elsberry, who originally posted the information, continues to look for confirmation, and in the meantime has posted a note immediately following the quotation, indicating this information is disputed. That seems to be a very responsible way to handle the information.

What is the importance of this issue? As a public official, Dr. Cheri Yecke should be held accountable for her statements about public policy. If a correct quote is disputed, that is a significant matter for such a person. On the other hand, if this quote were proven to be incorrect, it is important that the record be corrected and indicate Dr. Yecke’s actual position and record.

My own position is that consensus science should be taught in the public school classroom, and the scientific consensus is that the theory of evolution is well confirmed.