 The men then summoned 24-year-old John T. Scopes, a Dayton high school science and math teacher.The group asked Scopes to admit to teaching the theory of evolution.Rappleyea pointed out that, while the Butler Act prohibited the teaching of the theory of evolution, the state required teachers to use a textbook that explicitly described and endorsed the theory of evolution, and that teachers were, therefore, effectively required to break the law.