Organizations comprised of parents, students and churches this week filed suit in an Illinois federal district court challenging on Establishment Clause and free exercise grounds the "Quiet Time" program that has been implemented in a number of Chicago public schools. the complaint (
full text) in
Separation of Hinduism From Our Schools v/ Chicago Public Schools, (ND IL, filed 8/3/2020), alleges in part:
3. Although all named Defendants have made statements to the contrary, the “Quiet Time” program is based in Hindu beliefs and the practice of “Transcendental Meditation” is fundamentally religious in nature.
4. Plaintiffs’ rights under the First Amendment were violated when Defendants created environments within public schools where Hindu beliefs and the practice of “Transcendental Meditation” were being endorsed and students were coerced to engage in religious practices against their wills.
Christian News reports on the lawsuit.
