First off, the OP wrote “I heard” the Regents were cancelled. Did anyone confirm that they are, in fact, cancelled?
As for Biology and evolution, I actually taught 9th grade Regents biology for one year. I asked the principal if he wanted me to skip evolution, and he said no. I told the class the following:
“The Midrash says that every time Hashem does something miraculous, he also creates a way for those who don’t want to believe to have a way out of it. For example, Rashi says the wind blew the night before kriyas yam suf so some could say the wind caused the sea to split. You can say these things make sense, because otherwise it wouldn’t be a viable option. In the case of Hashem creating the world and all the living things, evolution was that “alternative belief” that Hashem created. We know that the truth is that Hashem created us. Others, however, are fooled by the alternative that Hashem put in place. By studying the alternative, and keeping firmly in mind that it is just an alternative, we can appreciate the perfection of Hashem! When we try to fool someone, there are always ways to see through the illusion. Let’s appreciate the perfection of Hashem by going through his “illusion” of evolution, and seeing how thoroughly he fooled all these people!”