NORMAL - It was just after 8:30 a.m. on a Monday and Chiddix Junior High School students were settling in for a busy school day. Associate Principal David Bollmann's voice came over the public address system.

"Goooood morning…," he said, leading students in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Next, came something new: A moment of silence.

"Let us now take a moment of silence to reflect on our day," said Bollmann.

The moment of silence, now required by law in Illinois public schools, lasted about 15 seconds. Before the law took effect Oct. 11, schools had the option of having a moment of silence.

Schools throughout the area are following the law, even if some provisions, such as how long a moment has to be, are unclear.

And now a federal lawsuit, filed against Gov. Rod Blagojevich and a school district in Chicago's northwest suburbs, asks the court to declare the law to be an unconstitutional attempt to inject religion into public schools. A hearing is expected to take place Monday.

Meanwhile, the students use the moment of silence to pray, reflect or sit and wait for classes to start.

In Jeff Porter's seventh-grade social studies class at Chiddix, student Kaitlyn Patterson clasped her hands in prayer. "It's a time to thank God for my day," she explained later.

Fellow classmate Dallas Braaten used the time to think of the soldiers fighting in Iraq and those who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"It's their time to use as they see fit," explained Bollmann, who added the moment of silence has not been an issue at the Unit 5 school.

"We've had no concerns from parents or anyone," he said.

In other Unit 5 schools and those in Bloomington District 87, the moment of silence is being observed at the "opening of every school day" as the new law requires.

"Everybody is accepting of it," said Unit 5 Superintendent Gary Niehaus.

Barry Reilly, assistant superintendent of human resources for District 87, said principals decide how to implement the new law that took effect earlier this month.

Students can observe the moment of silence in their own manner, said Reilly, adding, "It's unique to the individual."

Most area school districts surveyed last week also reported no problems with the law - and scenes like the one in Porter's classroom are being repeated throughout Central Illinois.

However, as with many new laws, there have been some questions.

How long, for instance, is a moment of silence? The law is not specific on that point.

In the Heyworth school district, it's just a few seconds, said Superintendent Randy Merker.

The length of time taken for the moment is up to each school district, said Matt Vanover, a spokesman for the State Board of Education.

There's also no penalty for violating the law, he said, adding most districts have moments of silence lasting between nine and 20 seconds.

But, details such as how long to observe the moment of silence have slowed implementation in the Downs-based Tri-Valley School District.

"We haven't decided yet how long to make it," said Superintendent Brad Cox, who calls the new law "one more mandate."

Cox said the district has no intercom directive for a moment of silence like there is at many schools, and he has not told his teachers to observe it.

"It would be safe to say that I can't guarantee that there is a moment of silence in every classroom," Cox said.

Still, school board president Larry Stark expects administrators to come up with a plan before the next school board meeting in mid-November.

Another Tri-Valley board member, Jay Chrisman, supports the law, agreeing the district simply hasn't finalized details. "We will talk about it at the next board meeting," Chrisman said.

The new law was not without controversy on the state level, becoming law after both the Illinois Senate and House overrode Gov. Rod Blagojevich's veto.

Opponents had contended it was an end run around the Constitution and amounted to school prayer, while proponents said it was what it said was: A moment of silence.

That it's not a mandatory moment for prayer was made clear in the Clinton school district, said Superintendent Jeff Holmes.

"We're not telling anyone that they have to pray," said Holmes, adding the moment typically lasts 10 to 15 seconds in Clinton schools.

Nobody, he said, has raised any concerns.

"The law is the law," he said.

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Moment of silence

This is the text of the section of state law requiring schools to allow a moment of silence:

In each public school classroom the teacher in charge shall observe a brief period of silence with the participation of all the pupils therein assembled at the opening of every school day. This period shall not be conducted as a religious exercise but shall be an opportunity for silent prayer or for silent reflection on the anticipated activities of the day. Source: Section 1 of the Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act