There are scientific facts we might not want to be true, such as fried food being bad for the heart — after all, it’s good for the soul — but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be taught in classrooms.

Some facts may be hard to swallow, such as climate change.

Some in Wyoming have voiced concern about how the Next Generation Science Standards handle global climate science.

The subject can’t be ignored by science classes, so how it is handled in the Next Generation Science Standards has been firing up more than just Bunsen burners.

Adoption of the state science standards was halted last year due to a state budget footnote which ended financial support for the state to look at Next Generation Science Standards, but the footnote was removed during the recent legislative session.

Now it’s time to decide what should be taught in Wyoming’s science classrooms.

How about the facts?

We’re not suggesting that schools teach only that climate change is man-made, naturally occuring, or not real at all — instead we believe controversial topics should present the facts first, then cover the gamut of views while remaining grounded in facts.

Earlier this year, the Wyoming Board of Education began to review state science standards. And on Tuesday, Powell residents shared their thoughts on the state’s K-12 science standards at the Wyoming Department of Education and State Board of Education’s meeting in the Powell High School auditorium. (See related story.)

Other regional community meetings were scheduled in Gillette, Casper, Cheyenne and Evanston.

Comments received during the meetings will be presented to members of the Science Standards Review Committee before they meet June 15-16 in Casper. Once the proposed standards are released, additional public comment periods will follow.

Despite bumps in the road, we are happy to see the review process underway, and we hope a solution is found that prepares our students for college and the workplace.

Some lawmakers were concerned the standards emphasized a link between fossil fuels and global warming.

“We want our students, through high science standards, to become more intelligent science consumers,” said Jillian Balow, Wyoming superintendent of public instruction. “We want our students to compete locally, nationally and globally. Our future is dependent on students who have a high level of science knowledge, and we do that first and foremost through having the best science standards for Wyoming students.”

We agree with Balow’s statement — Wyoming’s students need to be able to compete, and the only way that’s going to happen is if they are taught what the rest of the scientific world accepts to be factual and have a solid understanding of what the rest of the world’s reaction is to those findings.

Of course new discoveries are often made that debunk what was once considered to be true and schools should provide the most current information to their students.

There are many changes happening in education across the nation and many lawmakers are deciding what to teach our nation’s kids. But whatever happened to educators deciding what the lessons would be?

It’s great to see schools are getting on the same page with their lessons so one topic isn’t covered several times while another is missed completely by students who move from one school to another.

But, the content of those lessons shouldn’t be a political statement — it should be what the students need to know in order to succeed in life.

None of us want Wyoming’s high school graduates to move on to universities outside the state firmly believing something that isn’t true or not knowing anything about key topics and then failing to keep up with their peers.

We shouldn’t let what anyone thinks of the facts turn into what is taught as fact, nor should we ignore the various opinions people hold about those findings.

Some people believe in evolution, others do not, but Wyoming’s schools don’t ignore that topic nor should they ignore climate change either.

After all, classrooms should be places where topics can be discussed and explored — not stifled.