Committee advances bill about moments of silence in schools

Committee advances bill about moments of silence in schools February 20, 2025

Sen. Rick Girdler, R-Somerset, testifies Thursday during a Senate Education Committee meeting about legislation regarding moments of silence and reflection in public schools. A high-resolution photo can be found here.

FRANKFORT — The Senate Education Committee on Thursday unanimously advanced Senate Bill 19, which would require public schools to establish procedures for moments of silence and reflection in the classroom.

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Rick Girdler, R-Somerset, testified that the measure would allow students to have a moment of silence at the start of the school day without any religious connotations.

Testifying with Girdler was Rabbi Shlomo Litvin, who is involved with several Jewish organizations and is director of Central Kentucky’s branch of Chabad-Lubavitch.

Litvin said he strongly endorses SB 19 because a moment of silence has long been recognized as a valued practice in schools to offer students an opportunity for reflection, mindfulness and focus. He said under the measure, teachers wouldn’t be allowed to tell the students how to use the time.

“It fosters an important sense of self-worth among students and strengthens their respect for one another. As we explore meaningful ways to uplift and support our students, a brief 60-120 seconds of silence, of silent reflection, is a simple yet powerful tool that can make a real difference,” he said.

Research consistently demonstrates that such moments enhance cognitive abilities, concentration, and emotional well-being, Litvin said. He added that they also contribute to a more respectful and thoughtful school environment.

“Importantly, Senate Bill 19 does not infringe on religious freedom. It is crafted by Jewish leaders here in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and has been endorsed by rabbis from across the state as well as religious leaders from a diverse range of faith groups and secular mental health professionals, he said.

Rabbi Ben Freed of Keneseth Israel Congregation of Louisville, said some points of the bill are “wonderful,” but cited concerns with changing the law to require moments of silence.

The possibility that The Lord’s Prayer could be recited before the moments of silence is also a concern, Freed said.

“And I feel that mandating it goes, to me, a step too far especially in conjunction with the fact that earlier in this statute, the statute states that it is permissible to have a recitation of the Lord’s Prayer… I find that to be somewhat problematic for a Jewish kid who would be in a classroom,” he said.

Mindy Haas, executive director of The Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass, said the federation agrees with Freed, and there are rabbis in Lexington who do not support the bill.

Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, R-Smithfield, asked the speakers if moments of silence are already being observed in public schools. Girdler and Litvin said they aren’t aware of this happening.

Tichenor said the measure would offer children a chance to take a deep breath and have some silence. She also said the United States has a deep history of Christianity, and teaching this as a historical fact can be valuable to students.

Senate Minority Caucus Chair Reginald L. Thomas, D-Lexington, said he takes his faith very seriously, and as he reads the bill, there’s nothing to prohibit a Jewish, Muslim or Christian student from using the moment of silence to think about religion in the context of which they’ve been trained.

Thomas said religion can be used in two ways – either as a sword or as a shield.

“And when I see statutes where religion is being the sword to promote bigotry or discrimination or hate, then I’m going to oppose. I’m going to oppose those bills, because there’s no place in American for a religion to be used in that context,” he said. “But where religion is being as a shield, to provide comfort, or consolation or just a moment of peace for a person, then I’m going to allow that, and that’s what this bill does.”

The bill now heads to the full Senate.

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https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/publicservices/pio/release.html#SB19022025