Atheist Parents file suit challenging schools' moment of silence
Dallas Morning News ^ Monday, March 13, 2006
By KATHERINE LEAL UNMUTH / The Dallas Morning News
An atheist couple whose children attend a Carrollton-Farmers Branch elementary school have filed a complaint in federal district court arguing that the state’s mandated moment of silence in public schools is unconstitutional.
David and Shannon Croft named the school district and Gov. Rick Perry in their complaint, filed Friday. In it, they say one of their children was told by a teacher to be quiet because the minute is a “time for prayer.”
“I do not believe there is any secular reason for a moment of silence,” said Mr. Croft, 37, a computer programmer. “This is just a ruse to get prayer in school without calling it prayer in school. Is there any study showing a moment of silence helps education?”
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Since 2003, Mr. Croft has documented his battle against perceived church-state violations at Rosemeade Elementary, where his three children attend. His past complaints, he said, include objecting to religious-themed songs such as “Silent Night” and “God Bless the U.S.A.,” Good News Bible Club meetings at the school and a poster reading “In God We Trust.”
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