The reason you can't teach Jesus/Creation in school is the 1st amendment. If you taught that, then you'd have to give equal time to EVERY religion. So, and hour on the bible? That means and hour on the Torah and another hour on the the Qu'ran and every other book, no matter how small or accepted in society.

Evolution is based on evidence, and science class is based on deducing from evidence. By definition, religion is based on faith, which is belief WITHOUT evidence. They don't call it a 'leap of faith' for nothing. There is nothing wrong with that, but it can not be science.

@rooney - 

Have you read the 1st amendment? It says nothing about teaching belief or creation in the schools. It says, in fact, just the opposite, that congress can make no laws restricting religion - teachers are free to teach what they want.

As far as evolution, the evidence was and is being read to say what evolution believers want it to say. The same evidence can also be read to support creation. The very basis of life, the DNA, is a string of information that could only have come from intelligence. Information does not and can not happen by chance.

@redshad - 

1. There is a long and solid legal record and precedent of the first amendment "restricting" clause leading to the idea of government institutions establishing or encouraging one religion over another. Any teacher teaching ANY religious idea violates this. If you don't like that, talk to the courts. So teachers are NOT free to teach what they want, both because of the 1st amendment and specific laws in each state. Ever seen a state curriculum? And if "teachers are free to teach what they want", how long would a Satanist or a animal sacrificer or a jihadist last in the school system? If I think the Flying Spaghetti Monster created the world, and I teach (I do have a license), can I teach that as truth in my classroom?

2. There is ZERO evidence for creation. All of the evidence points to evolution, at least according to all peer-reviewed research and 99.99999% of scientists in the world REGARDLESS of religious belief. There is no wiggle room or areas to interpret it on way or the other, none points to a miraculous creation. So, here are the two scenarios for creation to be true:
-the world scientists are part of a big conspiracy to protect evolution from the 'overwhelming' evidence of creation. To that I say, take of the tin-foil hat and get in line behind the Bigfoot, UFO, and ghost people, because they have a similar argument.
-there is real evidence beyond faith, and scientists just ignore it. For this to be true, every scientist ever has to pass up the greatest scientific discovery in the history of mankind (proof of god). This is very unrealistic because every scientist I have ever met is a gloryhog and not one would pass on that chance at fame and fortune. Plus, the LOVE to prove others wrong. I know I wouldn't pass on the chance to prove god is real, but all the evidence I've seen points to evolution. Evolution (and the big bang and DNA) could very well be the tools that god uses to shape the universe, but science does not deal in the metaphysical and unprovable, it deals in evidence and tangible.

P.S. There are good ideas about how DNA could happen by chance given the conditions in Earth's early atmosphere. That's the how. The why? You could put god in there. You could say god 'set up' the world to work that way. All I know is you can't prove that, and most likely, you never will be able to prove it, and that is probably on purpose, if there is a god in control.

P.P.S. You may think I'm some nut with no idea what I'm talking about, but I do have a Master's in geology AND teaching, so I do have some background here.