If state Sen. Dennis Baxley (R-Ocala) gets his way, the state's schools will have a different approach on how to handle a moment of silence.
Baxley wants students to start their school day with a mandatory two minutes of silence, according to SB 946, which the Senate Education Committee recently approved by a vote of 6-1.
Schools already have approved an optional two-minute time period for students to meditate or have silent reflection but Baxley wants to make the two minutes a daily requirement.
The measure does have its opponents, including the American Atheists. The group stated that the legislation does not protect First Amendment rights of the students being forced to participate in the two-minute moments of silence at the beginning of the day, adding that it is a waste of limited educational resources.
“I think a moment of mindfulness ... is a good thing,” Sen. Kelli Stargel (R-Lakeland) recently told Ocala.com.
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