DeSantis signs bill requiring moment of silence in Florida schools

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCJB) - Florida has joined the list of fifteen states that require schools to provide a moment of silence at the beginning of each school day

Introduced by Ocala Senator Dennis Baxley, the moment of reflection was already allowed. But after July 1, it is mandatory.

Now, with the stroke of the governor’s pen, K-12 students will get one or two minutes each morning to reflect. On his way to the signing, representative Randy Fine said the bill will give students a break from a fast moving society.

“With technology, the media and cell phones, children just don’t have that time to be centered the way we’d like them to be. This is going to allow them to be quiet and let the world into their minds in a way that may not be happening today,” Fine said.

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Devon Graham—of American Atheists—testified against the idea, worried it will lead to bullying and more.

“There’s no reason to force them to participate in something they don’t want to do,” Graham said.

Key points in the legislation: students may not interfere with other students’ participation, and a teacher may not suggest the nature of any reflection.

While a teacher can’t legally suggest how to use the moment, they are required to encourage parents to talk with their children about how to use the moment of silence.

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