In 1985 , the Supreme Court said that a `` moment of silence '' law in Alabama would not work with the United States Constitution and could not be used . Although since 1976 the state Virginia law permitted school districts to implement 60 seconds of silence at the start of each school day , in 1985 , the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that an Alabama `` moment of silence or voluntary prayer '' law was unconstitutional , in the case Wallace v. Jaffree . In April 2000 , a new law came into being ; requiring all Virginian public school students to observe a moment of silence .