FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — A bill that is moving through the general assembly would require Kentucky students to start their school day with a "moment of silence or reflection."
While supporters tout it as a chance for students to meditate or reflect, critics fear it may be a backdoor attempt to create a structured prayer time in schools.
The bill stipulates that the moment of silence would enable "each pupil to, in the exercise of his or her individual choice, meditate, pray, or engage in any other silent activity."
Representative Tina Bojanowski, who is also a teacher, voiced her apprehensions, suggesting the bill is a veiled push for prayer in schools.
"They want prayer in the schools. That's my perspective," Bojanowski said. “They don’t say that, but that’s why it’s happening across the nation.”
Supporters, however, argue that the bill is intended to provide a moral foundation for students. Rabbi Shlomo Litvin endorsed the legislation, arguing that it could help address issues such as depression and bullying among youth.
"To give them a chance to be centered. To pray, if they want to pray — whatever their faith is," Litvin said. "To have a moment of mindfulness, a moment of focus on themselves, their classmates, recognize their own value and the value of their classmates is an amazing thing.”
Critics, including Bojanowski, counter that students already have the freedom to pray in schools. She emphasized that accommodations are already made for students of various faiths.
"I'm not against prayer," Bojanowski said. "I believe that children have every right to pray, and if I have a student who needs a few minutes, we accommodate that."
The First Amendment prohibits U.S. schools from restricting students' religious expression or promoting any specific religion. In a landmark 1962 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that public schools cannot compose an official school prayer or require its use.
Critics suggest the moment-of-silence bill may inadvertently steer Kentucky's schools in that direction.
"From a teacher's perspective, the only reason to add this in is to provide a structured time for prayer," Bojanowski added. “They say it’s not, but in the bill, it lists prayer as one of the aspects.”
Supporters, including Litvin, maintain that the bill allows for personal choice. They argue that during the moment of silence, students can think about anything, from personal reflections to favorite hobbies.
"In a moment of silence, a kid could be praying in his heart. He could be thinking about how to catch the latest Pokémon. His other friends aren’t going to know,” Litvin said.
The legislation is Senate Bill 19.
