Kansas education officials are committed to using new science standards in public schools, despite a federal lawsuit attempting to block them.
The State Board of Education and the State Department of Education are defending the multistate standards, which the board adopted in June after two years of consideration.
Parents and a non-profit group filed a lawsuit last week, criticizing the way the standards treat evolution.
The guidelines say that evolution is a well-established scientific theory.
The plaintiffs contend the standards allow schools to indoctrinate students with an atheistic philosophy, in violation of their religious freedoms.
Both the state board of education and the department of education say the standards provide strong science education.