Arizona Gov. Ducey signs bill requiring moment of silence at beginning of each school day

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Students sit in a classroom of the Petri primary school in Dortmund, western Germany, on June 15, 2020 amid the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic (Photo by INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images)

PHOENIX - Arizona Governor Doug Ducey on April 12 signed a bill requiring public and charter schools to hold a moment of silence at the beginning of each school day.

House Bill 2707 states the moment of silence is one-to-two minutes and "can be used for contemplation in a manner determined by the student and their parents."

"As we’re working to get Arizona kids refocused in the classroom, we should also work to get them refocused emotionally," Ducey said in a news release. "That’s exactly what H.B. 2707 does, ensuring all schools set aside time every day for students to engage in a moment of silence. This gives our kids the opportunity to take time to remember, reflect, meditate, pray, prepare for the day ahead or anything they—and their parents—choose."

According to the governor's office, the bill was signed on what would have been the 120th birthday of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who was an influential figure in the Jewish community who called for a moment of silence in schools at the beginning of each day after the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan.