A "MOMENT OF SILENCE" IN PLACE OF PRAYER IN U.S. PUBLIC SCHOOLS

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Quotations:

Problems with school prayer:

Contrary to the belief of many people, prayer is widely permitted in U.S. public schools. Students can pray in school busses, at the flag-pole, in student religious clubs, in the cafeteria, in the corridors, etc. Alternatively, a student can come early to class, sit quietly, and pray silently. However, a U.S. Supreme Court decision ( Engel v. Vitale; 1962) ruled that prayer is not normally permitted in public school classrooms when a class is in session. It would violate the principle of church-state separation which, according to the Court, is inferred by the 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The separation principle is extended to public schools as an arm of the government.

Many conservative Christians, and others, promote the concept of having Christian prayers in public schools. They feel that if students start the day with a prayer, then they will behave in a more spiritual and ethical manner during the day. "Some, like former Secretary of Education William Bennett blame the 1962 decision... for everything from low SAT scores to high teenage pregnancy rates." ₁ Others oppose school prayer because:

An alternative to school prayer:

One Web site, the Natural Prayer Project (NPP), recommends that schools follow a suggestion made by Colin Powell. He recommends a simple moment of silence at the start of each school day. Students could use this interval to pray, meditate, contemplate or study. ₂ A book "An Outrageous Idea: Natural Prayer" written by Patty Jo Cornish and illustrated by James Hubbell promotes this concept. ₃ She writes:

"We have forgotten that we are all in this together. And, we keep separating ourselves from ourselves, by color, by football teams, by clothes, by money, by creed, by greed, by boundaries, by age, and so on and on. We need something to pull us all together. Natural Prayer could be that miracle. It includes everyone, even the non-believers."

A moment of silence would allow students with religious beliefs as diverse as Atheism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Neopaganism, etc. to participate together; some would pray; others would reflect on the upcoming day; others would meditate. There would be provision for all. A moment of silence could contribute to acceptance of diversity within the student body, and eventually lead to less violence on campus.

Is a moment of silence constitutional?

Court rulings on "moment of silence" laws have been mixed:

The law was supported by lawyers of the State of Virginia who argued persuasively that the legislation had a secular purpose, and favored neither religion nor a secular lifestyle. Attorney General Mark Earley said: "A moment of silence will contribute to maintaining order and discipline in our classrooms and allow students time to thoughtfully prepare themselves for the upcoming educational activities of the day." ₅

In 2000-OCT, U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton ruled in a 15 page decision that the law was constitutional. He wrote, in part: "The court finds that the Commonwealth's daily observance of one minute of silence act is constitutional. The act was enacted for a secular purpose, does not advance or inhibit religion, nor is there excessive entanglement with religion...Students may think as they wish -- and this thinking can be purely religious in nature or purely secular in nature. All that is required is that they sit silently" ₆

The ACLU expects to appeal the ruling.

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