School districts and teachers would be allowed to establish a daily observance of a minute of silence in their classrooms under a bill approved 73-19 Monday night by the Iowa House.
"It makes a very simple statement that there are times, there are circumstances, there are situations that deserve at least a moment of silence in the classroom," said Rep. Danny Carroll, R-Grinnell.
Carroll said the bill provides schools with reassurance and clarity that it's appropriate and consistent with the U.S. Constitution to have such a moment of silence. He said it also indicates that it's a priority of lawmakers.
But a spokesman for the state's largest teachers union said House File 2516 is not necessary because teachers already have such rights under current law.
"They have the authority to ask for a moment of silence right now in the classroom, so this is redundant," said Ron Livermore, a lobbyist for the Iowa State Education Association, which represents the state's 32,970 teachers.
Rep. Vicki Lensing, D-Iowa City, indicated the legislation may be an effort to require prayer in schools. She quoted from an 1875 speech by President Ulysses Grant, who said that church and state should be kept separate.
An amendment added to the bill by Rep. Mike Cormack, R-Fort Dodge, would require each of Iowa's 20,000 classrooms to have an American flag. Democrats called it an unfunded mandate because the state would not provide money for the flags. The bill moves to the Senate for further debate.