BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — An attempt to repeal a six-year-old law that permits public school science teachers to use material outside a classroom's adopted textbook has been rejected by the Senate Education Committee.

Senators voted 3-1 Thursday against removing the Louisiana Science Education Act.

Critics of the law say that by allowing supplemental materials, science teachers could have a loophole to teach the concept of creationism.

Democrat Sen. Karen Carter Peterson of New Orleans sponsored a proposal to repeal the law.

Supporters of the law say it promotes critical thinking.

They say guidelines adopted by the state education board prohibit promoting religious doctrine in supplemental materials and require that information teachers present must be scientifically sound.

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