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I’m not sure where the members of the Illinois General Assembly have their heads, but it’s certainly not in the classroom. Why else would the General Assembly pass SB1463, a bill making a brief period of silence at the start of the school day mandatory instead of optional, and then override the veto by Gov. Rod Blagojevich? I’m not generally a fan of Blagojevich, but I think he had it correct when he vetoed the bill. The Chicago Tribune article reports that Blagojevich "had said he believes in the ‘power of prayer’ but worried the law could erode the barrier between church and state."

The Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act allowed for an optional brief period of silence at the start of the school day. The brief period of silence "shall not be conducted as a religious exercise but shall be an opportunity for silent prayer or for silent reflection on the anticipated activities of the day." SB1463 amends the Act so that the brief period of silence is required, not optional. Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) voted against the amendment. The Tribune reports that "the only people who lobbied him on the bill were preachers, priests and rabbis." I wonder what the point of the amendment is.

The change went into effect on Friday, but there are still many schools and school districts that have yet to implement a plan for holding the brief period of silence. Among the reasons for the delay are trying to figure out what is required to comply with the change. For example, how long is the "brief period"? There are also administrative issues, such as how to implement the required silence, and what to do about students who do not comply with the period of silence.

It is hard enough to get students engaged in the classroom early in the day, and I think this required period of silence will only serve to make it more difficult. When the brief period was optional, it allowed those schools that wished to take advantage of it that opportunity, while those that did not wish to have the silence could continue on with the day’s business. Now, in addition to the morning announcements and the Pledge of Allegiance, we must add a period of silence that further cuts into the instructional time for the first period of class. I am sure that this additional distraction will help us increase test scores throughout the state. *grin*