Florida Republican Gov. Bill DeSantis signed a bill on Monday that will require K-12 teachers to allow a one or two minute period of silence for students, including the opportunity for students to pray if they choose to do so.
“But we think it’s something that’s 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 at a news conference on Monday.
“The idea that you can just push God out of every institution and be successful — I’m sorry, our Founding Fathers did not believe that. So we have an opportunity here to really protect the religious freedom of everybody who’s going to school K-12 in the state of Florida and we’re really proud of that.”
The bill itself says, “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.”
The newly signed law is a stark change to the increased removal of anything religious in Democrat-led states. While some schools are now removing the names of any religious holidays in order not to offend students or teachers, Florida is offering more freedom for people of faith to pray if they choose to do so.
FLorida’s Republican-led legislature’s focus on maximum freedom has resonated strongly with conservative Americans nationwide. DeSantis has not only grown in popularity in his home state, but has even ranked as a frontrunner among those to run for president in 2024.
There’s no secret to his new bill, or his emphasis on freedom. DeSantis and the state’s Republicans are simply emphasizing traditional Americans values. Public schools long held a time of daily prayer until the tradition was ended in the 1960s.
Other DeSantis initiatives have also tapped into the emphasis on traditional American values. He recently announced plans to send $1,000 bonuses to the states teachers, as well as $1,000 bonuses to law enforcement officers, offering a stark contrast to those who desire to defund the police.
The Florida leader also opposed Fauci and the Biden Administration’s long-term lockdowns on businesses and the economy. He has been known for saying the state chose freedom over Faucism, leading the nation as the strongest economy of any state during the pandemic.
While some, especially liberals, balk at the DeSantis emphasis on American values, most Floridians have enjoyed an environment where they can live freely, regardless of politics. Whether the moves will translate to a future higher office, only time will tell, but the moves are certainly not afraid to open opportunities for schools to allow prayer, even if only for a minute.