Created: 5/5/2005 10:02:37 AM 
MARIETTA, GA (AP) -- A federal appeals court has denied the Cobb County school board's request to delay an order to remove evolution disclaimer stickers from science textbooks.
The school board had requested the delay while appealing a ruling that the stickers, which said evolution was "a theory, not a fact" violated the separation of church and state.
Earlier this year, U-S District Court Judge Clarence Cooper had ordered the school system to remove the stickers from 34-thousand textbooks.
The school system has made tentative plans to do so, including an expectation that it could pay staff and students to do it. Dates for the removal have NOT been set.
The evolution disclaimers read: "This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully, and critically considered."
Six parents sued to remove the stickers saying the disclaimers violated the principle of separation of church and state.
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