The moment of silence returned to Township High School District 214 schools this week — where a student had challenged it three years ago – but many students didn’t even catch the 15-to 30-second “moment” before morning announcements.
“It’s over before you notice it,” Wheeling High School senior Sejal Shah said.
“I think 15 seconds is a very short time to reflect on your thoughts, or if students want to pray,” she said. “Those who want to, do it on their own time.”
Dawn Sherman, the student who started the legal challenge to the moment, is now a Buffalo Grove High School senior. She was disappointed to see the moment come back after she effectively got the high school district, and all districts in Illinois, to stop the moment of silence her freshman year.
She and her father, activist Rob Sherman, sued the district, arguing that the moment blurred the lines of separation between church and state. An injunction stopped the moment, but when that was removed recently by a federal judge, the mandatory practice resumed.
Dawn Sherman said her classmates turned to her and some asked, ‘Didn’t you get rid of this freshman year?’
“It’s first of all, pointless,” Sherman said. “It’s so short, it’s not functional so even if it was for silent reflection on our day, it’s too short.”
Wheeling senior Chris Schwarz said he doesn’t really know what he thinks about it yet, but the controversy isn’t warranted.
“People make such a big deal out of the moment of reflection, but nobody’s forcing them to pray,” he said.
He pointed out that there are many moments of silence throughout the year on Sept. 11 or in honor of Veteran’s Day.
District officials said they are implementing the new moment of silence in the exact same way it was three years ago.
Sherman said she and her father are planning on appealing, with Rob Sherman calling it the sixth inning of a nine inning game. They may go to court, ask the legislature to make it voluntary or ask school boards to move the timing of the moment.
“I’m definitely dissatisfied with the injunction being removed,” she said. “The whole purpose of the injunction was to not implement the moment of silence until we had ascertained the constitutionality. This issue has not been settled.”
