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Kentucky Senate committee unanimously advances bill to establish moment of silence in public schools
Summary
The Senate Committee on Education voted unanimously to pass Senate Bill 19, which would require a brief moment of silence in public schools and clarifies that the practice must not be used to compel religious activity; proponents and opponents debated whether mandatory language is appropriate.
FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Senate Committee on Education on an unanimous voice vote advanced Senate Bill 19, which would require Kentucky public schools to set aside a brief period of silent reflection at the start of the school day.
Proponents said the measure, as written, is nonreligious and intended to give students time to focus. "A brief 60 to 120 seconds of silence of silent reflection is a simple yet powerful tool that can make a real difference," Rabbi Shlomo Litzman, director of Central Kentucky's branch of Chabad Lubavitch and chairman of the Kentucky Jewish Council, told the committee.
The bill specifies the time range and includes language intended to prevent coercion by school staff. "This law ... ensures that a teacher from whatever their persuasion be, their religious affiliation be, cannot tell the students how to use this time," Litzman said, adding that the provision was written to keep the conversation about faith between students and their families.
Not all speakers supported making the moment mandatory. Rabbi Ben Fried of Knesset Israel Congregation in Louisville praised the anti-coercion language but said he objected to changing the statute from permissive to mandatory. "Mandating it goes, to me, a step too far," Fried said, and expressed concern that a mandatory silent period could follow a classroom recitation of the Lord's Prayer under other parts of the statute.
Mindy Haas, representing the Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass, said several local rabbis opposed the bill and that the broader Jewish community in Kentucky had not coalesced behind the measure. "We strongly oppose this bill," she told the committee.
Committee members debated the bill's scope and intent. Senator Tichenor, who asked whether the practice is occurring now in Kentucky schools, was told by the bill's sponsors that no district-wide implementation is in place. Senator Thomas said the measure allows students to "use this moment of silence to think about religion in the context of which they've been trained," and indicated subsection b of the bill eased some concerns about coercion.
The ACLU of Kentucky was cited by a presenter as having stated it had "no serious concerns" with the bill because it does not mandate school prayer. Committee Chair West recognized a motion on the bill from Senator Wilson with a second from Senator Tichenor; the committee then voted in favor. "Senate Bill 19 passes unanimously with favorable expression," the chair announced.
The bill will proceed to the next legislative stage for consideration by the full Senate.
