Teens go online to protest 'moment of silence' law

Although they attend high schools more than 30 miles apart, the same issue worries 16-year-olds Sara Tews of Villa Park and Albert Plawinski of Carpentersville -- and about 150 of their friends.

As part of the Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act that took effect in Illinois last week, schools must provide a mandatory moment of silence at the start of each day.

Tews, a junior at Willowbrook High School in Villa Park, and Plawinski, a sophomore at Jacobs High School in Algonquin, say the law crosses the line between separation of church and state -- a national value they've studied in history classes for years.

So to speak out, they headed to the most logical place to get teens' attention: the Internet.

Tews this week created Students Against Forced Silences in Illinois Schools on the social networking sites Facebook and MySpace.

Within three days, about 150 students had joined the forum from area high schools, including Glenbard East in Lombard, Lake Park in Roselle and Maine South in Park Ridge.

Their ultimate goal, Tews said, is to petition to change the law's wording back to its original format, saying schools "may" require the silence instead of "shall."

"I think that's just a sneaky way to get prayer into school," Tews said Friday. "I understand that technically the time is for students to do whatever they want -- reflect on their day or whatever.

"But personally, I don't think that would have passed in the government if it was just for kids to plan what they're going to do during the day," she said. "The word 'prayer' is said in the bill. That's a concern."

Some state representatives who supported the measure, including Republican state Rep. Dennis Reboletti of Elmhurst, said the new language simply clarifies things.

"When I voted for it, that wasn't my intention to introduce prayers into the schools," Reboletti said. "The silence was always optional.

"But maybe you have a class where one teacher offers it and another doesn't, so students don't have that opportunity," he said. "Now everyone has that opportunity."

Online, however, some students argue that prayer can be done on personal time and the law wastes money and valuable class time.

Plawinski says students who want to pray together should join clubs like the Bible studies organization at Jacobs High School.

"That's a perfect alternative for people who want to share their religious views," he said. "Our school is pretty open about that."

State Rep. Jack D. Franks, a Woodstock Democrat, applauded the students for starting their movement. Franks opposed the law and said it does a disservice to both major political parties.

"If you're a conservative, you don't like it because it is a mandate and it micromanages," Franks said. "If you're a liberal, it blurs the line between church and state."

This weekend, the students plan to meet and set up a plan of action. Plawinski said they are considering creating T-shirts with a catchy slogan and a link to their Web forum.

He said T-shirts are a good way to protest the law without being disrespectful during the actual moment of silence, for those who do pray or reflect.

Whether the students succeed in changing the law or not, Willowbrook Principal Daniel Krause said he smiled when he learned of their forum.

"I think anytime you have young adults actively participating from a civic-minded standpoint, that's fantastic," Krause said. "They're having a dialogue about things that affect them every day in a positive way."