Gov. Ron DeSantis

Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill requiring that public school principals require teachers in first-period classrooms in all grades to set aside at least one minute but not more than two minutes for a moment of silence at the beginning of each school day.

The bill states that “a teacher may not make suggestions as to the nature of any reflection that a student may engage in during the moment of silence.”

The law also forbids students from interfering with another student during the moment of silence.

According to a copy of the legislation, each first-period classroom teacher shall encourage parents or guardians to discuss the moment of silence with their children and to make suggestions as to the best use of this time.

The bill passed the state House by a vote of 94-24 and in the state Senate by a vote of 32-6.

DeSantis spoke about the bill during an appearance at The Shul of Bal Harbour in Surfside.

“We think it’s something that is important to be able to provide each student the ability, every day, to be able to reflect and to be able to pray as they see fit,” DeSantis said.

While the bill itself does not mention praying, the comments by DeSantis were seen by some legislative opponents as confirming that the bill is intended to encourage prayer in public schools — a hotbutton political issue for many years.

“We had an opportunity here to really protect the religious freedom of everybody who is going to school, K-12 in the state of Florida,” DeSantis said.

Previously under Florida law, a school board could require a moment of silence be set aside for students each day. The new law requires each school to set aside the moment of silence from a minimum of one minute and no more than two minutes.

The bill further states that “the Legislature finds that in today’s hectic society too few persons are able to experience even a moment of quiet reflection before plunging headlong into the activities of daily life. Young persons are particularly affected by the absence of an opportunity for a moment of quiet reflection. The Legislature finds that our youth, and society as a whole, would be well served if students in the public schools were afforded a moment of silence at the beginning of each school day.”

DeSantis also spoke about legislation he signed which makes it illegal for public school teachers to deny the Holocaust.