West Virginia Bill Would Require ‘Moment of Silence’ at Beginning of School Day

Breitbart ^ | St. Valentine's Day 2025 | Amy Furr

[Morgana]

A Republican lawmaker in West Virginia has introduced a bill to require a moment of silence at the start of every school day.

The pause as their busy day begins would allow students the opportunity for reflection, prayer, or personal meditation, WV News reported on Thursday, noting that State Sen. Patricia Rucker (R-Jefferson County) introduced Senate Bill 80.

Article two of the bill’s text reads:

In order that the right of every pupil to the free exercise of religion be guaranteed within the schools and that the freedom of each individual pupil be subject to the least possible pressure from the state either to engage in, or to refrain from, religious observation on school grounds, the school board of each county shall establish the daily observance of one minute of silence in each classroom of the county. During such one-minute period of silence, the teacher responsible for each classroom shall take care that all pupils remain seated and silent and make no distracting display to the end that each pupil may, in the exercise of his or her individual choice, meditate, pray, or engage in any other silent activity which does not interfere with, distract, or impede other pupils in the like exercise of individual choice.

Writing for Chabad.org, Dovid Margolin explained that since the 1980s, many schools have adopted the practice for their students.

He said a rabbi advocating for it during a meeting with the governor of Florida after the Parkland high school shootings noted the voluntary moment “means taking 60 seconds, and saying ‘today, think about what you can do to be a better student. Today, think about what you can do to be a better human being.'”

The WV News report detailed:

[Morgana]

I thought they already passed something like this.

When I was in HS back sometime around 86 to 87 they were doing this at the beginning of the day. The teachers loved it because it was the only time the whole day the school was quiet.

[Sacajaweau]

The Pledge of Allegiance put everyone on the same track each day. Add a minute of silence?? Not sure.

[Sacajaweau]

I always loved it when the teacher was going to leave the classroom and said...."You're on your honor"....

It was like we all needed a dose of ritalin. lol

[Fester Chugabrew]

Cramming kids from different families together under any circumstance needs hella discipline administered by someone who commands a loving respect.

[Tired of Taxes]

Years ago, some state lawmakers came up with another idea. Instead of the Pledge, they wanted students to recite these lines from the Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

[Fester Chugabrew]

There is a public high school only blocks from me. I go there on election days to work the polls as a Republican clerk. The principal is most gracious and accommodating. His love for the students is evident, but it must be an immeasurable challenge to herd the cats as it were.

I hope to hold converse with him for an hour or so to probe family, education, and discipline in general. I suspect he is Dem, but has ears to hear. We’ll see.

[gundog]

[No name given]

I don’t know if this is a smart idea.