To: Wyoming State Board of Education
Tell Wyoming State Board of Education to Support Climate Science in Wyoming Schools!
Please support the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for the benefit of Wyoming students. Our children deserve the best possible science education, and that includes gaining a foundation in climate science. The NGSS will help Wyoming students prepare for the challenges and opportunities they will face throughout their lives.
Why is this important?
Parents are hardwired to do everything we can to support and protect our kids. For me, that means helping to turn the tide on climate change. Unless we change course, climate change will create an increasingly chaotic world for my daughter and all of our children.
Up until now, students in Wyoming haven’t been taught much about climate change, despite the major impact it will have on their lives. That could change with the adoption of Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), a new set of science standards that include climate science, developed by the National Academy of Sciences along with 26 states.
The Wyoming State Board of Education is considering adoption of NGSS right now. But, the Board recently postponed a vote to adopt the standards after an outcry from a small group of people opposed to teaching kids facts about climate change.
Now, those same opponents have written a letter to Governor Mead, asking him to weigh in against the NGSS on grounds that the new standards don't represent "Wyoming values." They are working to rally people to attend the State Board of Education meeting this Friday, Jan. 24, in Cheyenne to stop the new science standards.
Keeping our kids in the dark about the reality of climate change and denying them access to high quality science education would be an unacceptable disservice to their future. Ignorance is not a "Wyoming value."
At a time when climate impacts like less snowpack, water shortages, severe heat, a longer and more intense fire season, and massive beetle bark infestation have already affected Wyoming, it’s more important than ever for Wyoming students to gain a strong understanding of the causes and impacts of climate change. This will give them the foundation to identify the solutions we need.
Let’s send the State Board of Education a strong message that we want our kids to have access to the best possible science education to help them address the challenges and opportunities they will face throughout their lives — including climate change.
If we act today, our children and grandchildren will thank us tomorrow!
Thank you for taking action.
Sincerely,
Doug Hilborn, Wyoming Father
Up until now, students in Wyoming haven’t been taught much about climate change, despite the major impact it will have on their lives. That could change with the adoption of Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), a new set of science standards that include climate science, developed by the National Academy of Sciences along with 26 states.
The Wyoming State Board of Education is considering adoption of NGSS right now. But, the Board recently postponed a vote to adopt the standards after an outcry from a small group of people opposed to teaching kids facts about climate change.
Now, those same opponents have written a letter to Governor Mead, asking him to weigh in against the NGSS on grounds that the new standards don't represent "Wyoming values." They are working to rally people to attend the State Board of Education meeting this Friday, Jan. 24, in Cheyenne to stop the new science standards.
Keeping our kids in the dark about the reality of climate change and denying them access to high quality science education would be an unacceptable disservice to their future. Ignorance is not a "Wyoming value."
At a time when climate impacts like less snowpack, water shortages, severe heat, a longer and more intense fire season, and massive beetle bark infestation have already affected Wyoming, it’s more important than ever for Wyoming students to gain a strong understanding of the causes and impacts of climate change. This will give them the foundation to identify the solutions we need.
Let’s send the State Board of Education a strong message that we want our kids to have access to the best possible science education to help them address the challenges and opportunities they will face throughout their lives — including climate change.
If we act today, our children and grandchildren will thank us tomorrow!
Thank you for taking action.
Sincerely,
Doug Hilborn, Wyoming Father