Pupils encouraged to participate in meditation, with initiation rites in darkened room
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(Image by Boyan Chen from Pixabay)
(JUST THE NEWS) — Mariyah Green was a junior when she transferred during the 2018-19 school year from a charter school to Bogan High School, where she played volleyball and basketball.
Green had no idea when she transferred to Chicago Public Schools that she would end up suing the school, alleging violations against her First Amendment rights.
She told Chalkboard that students were made to participate in the district’s Quiet Time program, where instructors encouraged students to participate in transcendental meditation, including initiation rites conducted in a darkened classroom. She was recently awarded $75,000 for damages and legal fees in a judgement.
Students were told not to tell their parents about their “mantra” words, according to Green.
Green said students were expected to meditate for 15 minutes during two class periods every school day as part of the Quiet Time program during class in the place of instructional time, which targeted high-needs schools.
A 2016 Smithsonian Magazine article shows how the David Lynch Foundation wanted to spread transcendental meditation to urban schools in Chicago and New York and study the results on 6,800 “subjects.”
“The Quiet Time program serves urban schools that have high rates of youth behavior challenges, teacher turnover, and academic achievement gaps,” reads a Quiet Time brochure about the program’s implementation at the San Francisco Unified School District.
“By introducing meditation to the entire school community – students, teachers, and principals alike – this innovative program has effectively restored a positive culture of academics and well-being in high-need school communities,” the brochure reads.
But in practice, the Quiet Time program included pushing religion on students violating the First Amendment’s Free Exercise and Establishment Clauses, according to Green and her attorneys.
