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2000 SESSION

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006122444
SENATE BILL NO. 209 FLOOR AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE (Proposed by Senator Houck on January 31, 2000) (Patron Prior to Substitute--Senator Barry A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-203 of the Code of Virginia, relating to one minute of silence in public schools.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 22.1-203 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 22.1-203. Daily observance of one minute of silence.

In order that the right of every pupil to the free exercise of religion be guaranteed within the schools and that the freedom of each individual pupil be subject to the least possible pressure from the Commonwealth either to engage in, or to refrain from, religious observation on school grounds, the school board of each school division is authorized to establish the daily observance of one minute of silence shall be observed daily in each classroom of the each school division.

Where such one-minute period of silence is instituted, the teacher responsible for each classroom shall take care that all pupils remain seated and silent and make no distracting display to the end that each pupil may, in the exercise of his or her individual choice, meditate, pray, or engage in any other silent activity which does not interfere with, distract, or impede other pupils in the like exercise of individual choice.

The Office of the Attorney General shall be authorized to intervene and shall provide legal counsel for defense of this law. Further, the Commonwealth of Virginia shall be responsible for all legal fees incurred by any local school board for defense of this statute.