Silence Golden, Not Mandated

Shhhhh!

There's a quiet revolution going on, mostly in the South, asefforts resume to restore prayer in the schools.

Under the Constitution, states can't legally require prayer inpublic schools. The Supreme Court ought not let it creep in, either,under the guise of a 60-second "moment of silence."

The issue is back in the news after Brian Bown, a high schoolsocial studies teacher in Snellville, Ga., was suspended and may befired for talking during a minute set aside for "silent reflection."

The one-minute set-aside for "silent reflection" is statemandated. And that's our problem with it, even though we don't seemuch harm in it. Georgia is one of nine states trying to restoreprayer in school. Those states are emboldened by a Houston federalappeals court ruling last year that said the Constitution bars onlystate-sponsored prayer, not prayers initiated by students. Thatinterpretation refutes some three decades of Supreme Court decisionsprohibiting official school prayers or even a state-mandated momentof silence for voluntary prayer.

Whatever the motive of the Georgia Legislature, the state has nobusiness micromanaging how teachers use their class time. Besides,students don't need a state mandate to silently reflect. They do sovoluntarily already. It's called daydreaming.