{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/22.1-203.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/22.1-203.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/22.1-203.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/22.1-203.html"}],"law_id":65338,"edition_id":1,"section_id":65338,"structure_id":12955,"section_number":"22.1-203","catch_line":"Daily observance of one minute of silence","history":"Code 1950, \u00a7 22-234.1; 1976, c. 103; 1980, c. 559; 2000, c. 1022.","full_text":"In order that the right of every pupil to the free exercise of religion be guaranteed within the schools and that the freedom of each individual pupil be subject to the least possible pressure from the Commonwealth either to engage in, or to refrain from, religious observation on school grounds, the school board of each school division shall establish the daily observance of one minute of silence in each classroom of the division.\n\t\tDuring such one-minute period of silence, the teacher responsible for each classroom shall take care that all pupils remain seated and silent and make no distracting display to the end that each pupil may, in the exercise of his or her individual choice, meditate, pray, or engage in any other silent activity which does not interfere with, distract, or impede other pupils in the like exercise of individual choice.\n\t\tThe Office of the Attorney General shall intervene and shall provide legal defense of this law.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":237593,"text":"In order that the right of every pupil to the free exercise of religion be guaranteed within the schools and that the freedom of each individual pupil be subject to the least possible pressure from the Commonwealth either to engage in, or to refrain from, religious observation on school grounds, the school board of each school division shall establish the daily observance of one minute of silence in each classroom of the division.\n\t\tDuring such one-minute period of silence, the teacher responsible for each classroom shall take care that all pupils remain seated and silent and make no distracting display to the end that each pupil may, in the exercise of his or her individual choice, meditate, pray, or engage in any other silent activity which does not interfere with, distract, or impede other pupils in the like exercise of individual choice.\n\t\tThe Office of the Attorney General shall intervene and shall provide legal defense of this law.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":12955,"edition_id":1,"name":"Programs and Courses of Instruction Generally","identifier":"1","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12954,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:04","date_modified":"2026-06-26 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likeness","url":"\/22.1-212.2_4\/","token":"22.1\/13\/1\/22.1-212.2_4","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":76946,"structure_id":12955,"section_number":"22.1-202.1","catch_line":"Comparative religion as elective course","url":"\/22.1-202.1\/","token":"22.1\/13\/1\/22.1-202.1","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":68914,"structure_id":12955,"section_number":"22.1-203.1","catch_line":"Student-initiated prayer","url":"\/22.1-203.1\/","token":"22.1\/13\/1\/22.1-203.1","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/22.1-203\/","history_text":"<p>The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. It has been modified 3 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1976, chapter 103; in 1980, chapter 559; in 2000, chapter <a href=\"https:\/\/legacylis.virginia.gov\/cgi-bin\/legp604.exe?001+ful+CHAP1022\">1022<\/a>.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":181445,"object_type":"law","relational_id":65338,"identifier":"22.1-203","token":"22.1\/13\/1\/22.1-203","url":"\/22.1-203\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/22.1-203\/","token":"22.1\/13\/1\/22.1-203","dublin_core":{"Title":"Daily observance of one minute of silence","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 22.1-203","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section><p>In <span class=\"dictionary\">order<\/span> that the right of every pupil to the free exercise of religion be guaranteed within the schools and that the freedom of each individual pupil be subject to the least possible pressure from the Commonwealth either to engage in, or to refrain from, religious observation on school grounds, the <span class=\"dictionary\">school board<\/span> of each school division shall establish the daily observance of one minute of silence in each classroom of the division.\n\t\tDuring such one-minute period of silence, the teacher responsible for each classroom shall take care that all pupils remain seated and silent and make no distracting display to the end that each pupil may, in the exercise of his or her individual choice, meditate, pray, or engage in any other silent activity which does not interfere with, distract, or impede other pupils in the like exercise of individual choice.\n\t\tThe Office of the <span class=\"dictionary\">Attorney General<\/span> shall intervene and shall provide legal defense of this <span class=\"dictionary\">law<\/span>.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":"                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nDAILY OBSERVANCE OF ONE MINUTE OF SILENCE (\u00a7 22.1-203)\n\nIn order that the right of every pupil to the free exercise of religion be\nguaranteed within the schools and that the freedom of each individual pupil be\nsubject to the least possible pressure from the Commonwealth either to engage\nin, or to refrain from, religious observation on school grounds, the school\nboard of each school division shall establish the daily observance of one minute\nof silence in each classroom of the division.\n\t\tDuring such one-minute period of silence, the teacher responsible for each\nclassroom shall take care that all pupils remain seated and silent and make no\ndistracting display to the end that each pupil may, in the exercise of his or\nher individual choice, meditate, pray, or engage in any other silent activity\nwhich does not interfere with, distract, or impede other pupils in the like\nexercise of individual choice.\n\t\tThe Office of the Attorney General shall intervene and shall provide legal\ndefense of this law.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1950, \u00a7 22-234.1; 1976, c. 103; 1980, c. 559; 2000, c. 1022.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}