Welcome to

The Florida Senate delayed a vote on a bill that would require one to two minutes of silent reflection at the start of each school day.

The bill was passed through the House last week, but has faced more scrutiny as its made its way through the Senate.

Some senators have expressed concerns the moment of silence could be construed as an attempt to mandate prayer in schools, but sponsor Senator Dennis Baxley said the bill expressly prohibits teachers from telling students how to use the time.

“Matter of fact it asks them to speak to the parents or inform them that they need to have a discussion about how to utilize that moment of silence based on their culture, their lives, their religion or lack thereof. But just a moment of reflection can help every one of us, matter of fact kind of introduced it into my own personal life,” said Baxley.

It’s not clear if the Senate intends to bring the bill back up for a vote, but if it isn’t passed before the close of session Friday it will be the end of the line for the legislation this year.