The Illinois House voted 74 to 37 to override Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s veto of a bill that requires Illinois public schools to observe a moment of silence at the start of every school day. Champaign and Urbana administrators, teachers and students had mixed reactions to the decision.

Don Owen, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in the Urbana School District, said he sent a memorandum to all Urbana principals on Monday asking them to immediately start each school day with a moment of silence.

Owen said he was unsure of the motivation behind the bill and felt that many of the legislators’ comments were wide-ranging.

“Some (legislators) thought that this would be the only moment of silence students would have during the school day, while others wanted to make sure students who wanted a chance to pray had it,” Owen said. “I’m not positive they all were in touch with what happens during the school day.”

Students have opportunities throughout the day to reflect or pray on their own and do not need one specific time set aside for it, Owen said.

“Anyone who thinks students don’t have downtime to themselves in school is deluding themselves about the education system,” said Matt Wash, sophomore in Engineering. “I, a Catholic college student, can find plenty of time for God in my own busy schedule, and therefore so can an elementary school child.”

Ron Bode, principal of Champaign’s Centennial High School, said that although he believes students have had the chance to reflect on a regular basis, the law still has some benefits.

“I think it’s always good to have time to step back and think about what you’re going to do with your day,” Bode said.

Terri Medwed, a guidance counselor for sixth graders at Urbana Middle School, said that requiring a moment of silence will give students the opportunity to positively reflect on and organize their day.

“In counseling, we use a lot of cognitive behavioral techniques,” Medwed said. “We’ve found that many of our thoughts impact our actions, and if students are given a chance to think about their day, their actions may become more positive.”

Some teachers believe that the law is beneficial because it will give students focus.

“This may help students slow down in the midst of their busy schedules,” said Jason Deal, a math teacher at Champaign’s Central High School. “And then they may be more apt to focus on education instead of everything else.”

The law does not state penalties for schools that do not allow for the moment of silence.

The Urbana district has not set a definite measure of how long the moment should last, Owen said.

“We’re waiting for any further administrative policy from the Illinois State Board of Education,” he said. “But for now, we’re going to follow the law.”