OK. I'm about to go ballistic here! "Moment of silence mandated in Illinois schools" [View All]

[in_cog_ni_to]

My son just told me that they were told they had to take a "moment of silence today because it is now the LAW IN ILLINOIS!!! The teacher REFUSED to say what the "moment of silence was for, so I just Googled it and this is what I found. The fucking Legislature voted to override Blago's veto!@#$%$#@ They are now mandating PRAYER IN ILLINOIS SCHOOLS!


Moment of silence mandated in Illinois schools

SPRINGFIELD—State lawmakers thrust Illinois into the center of the national debate on school prayer today as the House approved legislation to require public schools to provide students with a moment of silence at the start of classes.

Students from kindergarten through high school will be allowed to silently pray in whatever faith they practice or simply sit and reflect quietly. Illinois teachers and students have had the option of doing so since 2002, but it wasn't mandated.

The Illinois House voted to override Gov. Rod Blagojevich's late August veto of the silent-moment measure. The governor cited concerns about the separation of church and state.



"The law in Illinois today already allows teachers and students the opportunity to take a moment for silent thought or prayer, if they chose to," Blagojevich wrote. "I believe this is the right balance between the principles echoed in our constitution, and our deeply held desire to practice our faith. As a parent, I am working with my wife to raise our children to respect prayer and to pray because they want to pray—not because they are required to."<snip>

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-legis12_weboct12,0,6245540.story?coll=chi_tab01_layout