The Associated Press

SNELLVILLE, Ga.ÄOn the first day of school, Brian Bown's American government class listened to his lecture on the Protestant Reformation while the rest of the school observed a state-ordered moment of silence.

He was suspended Tuesday for refusing to comply with the law, which he says is unconstitutional. Legislators pushed the bill as a first step toward getting prayer back in schools.

"What I have to say is very important to say, and they're not taking a minute from me," said Bown, a teacher at South Gwinnett High School in suburban Atlanta.

Classes started Monday at many schools in Georgia, and that was the first time many teachers had to order their students to sit quietly for up to one minute at the beginning of the day. The law went into effect July 1, and it was enforced during summer school in some districts.

Similar measures are on the books in other states, although Georgia appears to be alone in strictly enforcing a mandatory moment of silence.

"I'm sure very few teachers do it," said Alan Safran, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Department of Education. "We don't monitor it and we're not going to."

Supporters of the Georgia law said it would help students reflect on their activities. Opponents said it was an attempt to circumvent the Supreme Court's ruling against organized prayer in public schools.

Most of Bown's students paid attention to him during the moment of silence on Monday. One student, sophomore Kelly Stock, bowed her head in prayer.

Gwinnett County Superintendent George Thompson told Bown that he would be fired if he didn't comply.

The moment of silence is announced over the public address system.

"All he had to do was stand and be silent," Thompson said Tuesday. "He interfered with the students' rights to participate in the moment of silence. I think it is divisive when a American government teacher openly violates the law in front of students. It could encourage them to do the same thing."

On Tuesday, Bown told Principal Delores Hendrix he still would not comply with the law, then left the building.

Berney Kirkland, spokeswoman for the school district, said Bown was suspended with pay. A hearing on Thompson's recommendation to fire him will be held within 10 days.

Bown refused interview requests Tuesday, saying he needed a moment of reflection himself.

"I'm so overcome with this I have to stop and take a moment. I've got people banging on my door," he said. "My attorney is asking me to postpone any interviews."

On Monday, Bown fielded calls on a radio talk show and appeared on several Atlanta TV stations.

Students leaving the school Tuesday afternoon were divided on the issue.

"Mr. Bown's the best teacher in this school," said Justin Paul Grogan, a senior who has taken two classes from Bown. "He's standing up for what he believes in.

The American Civil Liberties Union is considering a lawsuit.

Conservative Gwinnett County seems like an unlikely place for such a law to be challenged. The Republican party claims that every elected official in the county is a member of the GOP. Read Next Article