Bill would make moment of silence voluntary
By JOHN O’CONNOR
– The Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House wants silent reflection in public schools to be voluntary again.
The House voted 79-33 Thursday to change a law that a federal judge ruled unconstitutional in January. The legislation now moves to the Senate, where a similar bill died last year.
Under the new bill, teachers would be allowed – rather than required – to ask students to start each day with a moment of silent reflection.
“Where we ran afoul of common sense and the Constitution was when we imposed a dictate upon them,” said the bill’s sponsor, Democratic Rep. John Fritchey of Chicago.
A teacher previously had the option of asking students at the beginning of each day to pause silently. In 2007, the Illinois Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act required such daily initiations.
State Reps. Robert Pritchard, R-Hinckley, and Ron Wait, R-Belvidere, both voted Thursday against the newest version of the proposal.
“I didn’t think we needed to go down this road any further,” said Pritchard, who voted in favor of the 2007 legislation. “Obviously, an individual can still meditate and pray if they’d like to.”
Wait, however, said he preferred the original version of the proposal, in which the moment was required.
“This doesn’t say they have to do it,” he said. “I think it’s a good transition for when the kids come in. They can slow down, and have a moment of reflection. Now, they leave it optional to each teacher.”
The 2007 law was vetoed by then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich as a violation of constitutionally guaranteed church-state separation, but the General Assembly voted to override the Democratic governor, making the practice law.
Talk show host and atheist Rob Sherman and his teenage daughter sued, and a federal judge ruled in January that the law indicated an “intent to force the introduction of the concept of prayer into the schools.”
Attorney General Lisa Madigan appealed the ruling last month, noting that required reflection has been found constitutional in other states.
“The whole discussion gets blown out of proportion because someone who refuses to accept there’s a power greater than man says this is what the Constitution says, that we should have freedom from religion,” said Rep. Ron Stephens, a Greenville Republican.
Daily Chronicle City Editor Kate Schott contributed to this report.
