On Thursday, April 22, 2021, the Florida Senate approved a “moment of silence” bill (HB 529) that was previously approved by the Florida House of Representatives on March 18th of this year regarding the requirement of all school districts to enforce a 1-2 minute moment of silence for students of all grades at the beginning of each school day, specifically during first-period class times.
The House approved the bill with a 94-24 vote while the Senate approved the bill with a 32-6 vote. After Thursday’s approval, the bill moves on to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis where he will make final actions regarding the bill.
Before Section 1003.45 of Florida Statutes was amended by HB 529, it said that in the state of Florida district school boards had the option to set aside up to two minutes for silent prayer or meditation at the start of each school day or each school week in schools pertaining to said district.
The bill also states that teachers are prohibited from making suggestions as to the nature of any reflection that a student may engage in during the moment of silence while also stating that students are also prohibited from obstructing other students’ from participating in the moment of silence.
An amendment to Section 1003.45 F.S. part of HB 529 states that the Legislature has found that in today’s tumultuous society, too few persons are able to experience even a moment of quiet reflection before plunging headlong into the activities of daily life and that young people are particularly affected by this.
If the bill is approved by Governor DeSantis, Florida will become the 15th state to require all districts to enforce a moment of silence during each school day.
The “moment of silence” bill has no fiscal impact for the state of Florida and will take effect July 1st, 2021.
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Casey Owens is a writer at The Florida Capital Star. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “Florida Senate Capitol” by Michael Rivera CC 3.0.
