The questionable worth of a 'moment of silence'

Faced with a new state mandate to hold a daily 'moment of silence,' Illinois schools are left to figure out how to implement the requirement -- and what a 'moment' actually is.

Meanwhile, they're being sued by parents, picketed by students and scrutinized by both religious and legal groups.

The Illinois Legislature has put the schools in a tricky spot. Courts have struck down some state laws requiring a period of silence if they appeared to obviously promote religion, but upheld others if they permitted not only prayer but non-religious meditation.

A co-sponsor of the legislation says the daily pause is just a small break in students' fast-paced lives. A father who's suing one of the first districts to enact it says it's a poorly disguised attempt to bring prayer back to public schools.

Meanwhile, the schools are left to wrestle with a clunky requirement that carries no specific time requirement (the 'moment' is ranging from a full minute in some districts to just 10 or 20 seconds in others)and opens the door for abuse. A teacher who ridicules or blows off the requirement risks insulting students who take it seriously. A teacher who suggests the moment be used for prayer is clearly in violation of constitutional law.

One has to question the real worth of an imposed instant of awkward silence. It surely isn't an opportunity for stress relief and hardly seems like a meaningful opportunity for personal prayer.

I'm interested in your reaction. . . .