Should Creationism Be Taught Along Side Evolution in Public School

Should creationism be taught alongside evolution in public schools?
This question is an issue I have had to deal with personally most of my middle and high school years. I know how frustrating it can be to be in a classroom and hear other kids argue with the teacher because they don’t agree with the evolution being taught. It’s fine to have your own beliefs and no one told you that you had to agree completely with what is being taught or even believe in it, but before you go sitting there telling the teacher what they should be teaching remember you are wasting class time on something that the teacher can’t control. If they were to teach what you are telling them to teach they could be fired or even arrested for breaking the separation of church and state law stated in the first amendment.
A well know incident involving this is an incident in Ohio at the Sisters High School in
2007. A part-time teacher named Kris Helphinstine had included Biblical references in material for a biology class at Sisters High School for eight days. During this time he gave a PowerPoint presentation that made connections between evolution, Nazi Germany and Planned Parenthood.
The Sisters School Board fired Helphinstine for “deviating from the curriculum on the theory of evolution”; Helphinstine’s defense was that he included the additional material to teach students about bias in sources, and that his only agenda was to teach critical thinking. However despite all this denying he was still fired and is now no longer allowed to work at Sister High School proving to me that breaking the first amendment should be taken seriously and is not just a guideline you can dismiss. DeClue 1
The First Amendment states "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." Notice that the amendment does not specifically say that religion isn’t allowed in schools, but remember that public schools are run by the state which has to follow federal laws and federal laws have to follow the constitution. Therefore religion in a public school is unconstitutional and by being so is very illegal.
I am in no way saying that religion is bad or that someone should change their views, but
I am saying that if someone wants their child/children to be in a constant environment of religion then he/she should send their child/children to a religious school such as an all Christian school.
They are usually privately owned schools and then by being so are allowed to have that certain religion in the school. No child should have to feel uncomfortable coming to school for a religions reason in any way, shape, or form. I know personally how this feels having to hear about religion from other people in my class and I know a few other students that have the same feeling when walking into the school. This is something that can make things harder in school and even be linked to bullying, for example say there is a group of students that all go to the same church and they were to find out a student around them doesn’t go to church at all or doesn’t go to same church as these students. That child can be shunned or even made fun of for this. Teachers who are trying to teach this need to realize the importance of the impact they have on a class full of children when they begin to make biblical references, not only on their point of view but also their social health. All I want to show with this paper is that teaching creationism in a public school is not morally or constitutionally right. Everyone should try to DeClue 1 remember that just because you believe one thing or want something a certain way doesn’t mean that everyone else needs to see things the exact same way as you and trying to force people to is just as wrong as them trying to force their beliefs onto you.