Atheist takes on Texas' Minute of Silence

DALLAS, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- An atheist father of three has taken on Texas’ Minute of Silence law, which allows schools to set aside time for prayer or reflection.

David Croft, who calls himself an "optihumanist," and his wife Shannon have sued Gov. Rick Perry and the Carrollton-Farmers Branch School District, claiming the law amounts of state-sanctioned school prayer, The Dallas Morning News reports. The case was scheduled to go before a federal judge Tuesday in Dallas.

"Moment of silence bills have been popping up in additional states," Croft said in his blog. "To have millions of public school children waste a minute of education each day for a practice that has no secular purpose seems to me like a great sin."

Croft has been battling the schools for years over perceived religious intrusions, including the singing of religious Christmas carols and Hanukkah songs at school concerts. He says a teacher told his son the minute of silence was specifically for prayer.

Officials say if that happened, it was a mistake by the teacher, since the law was carefully written to meet court objections to other laws.