12/28/2023 0 Comments Florida schools moment of silenceHowever, the framers of our Constitution were very careful to separate church and state,” said Senate Minority Leader Gary Farmer, D-Lighthouse Point. “It would be a good thing if we could all take a moment of silence every day and reflect and meditate a little bit on things that are important to us. Opponents of the measure have argued that mandating a moment of silence in public schools blurs the line between church and state. We don’t want that responsibility on the teacher,” Baxley said. “It remains very clear in the wording of this bill that parents and guardians are the ones responsible for a discussion with their child about what’s the appropriate content of that time. Senate sponsor Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, said that part of the measure should alleviate concerns that teachers could influence how students use the silent time. The measure also would direct teachers to encourage parents to talk with students about the moment of silence and “to make suggestions as to the best use” of the time. Under the bill, teachers would not be able to “make suggestions as to the nature of any reflection that a student may engage in during the moment of silence,” and students “may not interfere with other students' participation.” Lawmakers have considered similar proposals in previous years but have not passed them. Under the measure, school principals would be required to direct first-period teachers to institute a one- to two-minute moment of silence at the beginning of each day. The Senate voted 32-6 to pass the bill (HB 529), which was approved by the House last month in a 94-24 vote. Florida public-school students might soon have a required moment of silence at the start of each day, under a measure passed Thursday by the Florida Senate and headed to Gov.
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