The superintendent of Eden Prairie Public Schools in Minnesota sent out a message to staff announcing that they would not be participating in Governor Tim Walz’s “moment of silence” on January 9, 2026.

Walz encouraged individuals, businesses, faith institutions and organizations to observe a moment of silence at 10:00 am on Friday and use the day “to connect in your community and engage in acts of service.”

Superintendent Dr. Joshua Swanson emailed teachers explaining the school would “not be organizing or leading a moment of silence on such short notice.”

“Our responsibility is to keep learning environments safe, respectful, and focused on instruction,” he wrote. “When schools coordinate a collective activity tied to current events without time to plan and be thoughtful, it can be interpreted in different ways and actually detract from the entire point — in this case it unity.”

Swanson said staff were free to observe the moment quietly on their own, but cautioned it should not interfere with their duties, create the impression they were directing students, or involve sharing personal opinions.

Instead, he said the focus is on “supporting students and keeping classrooms centered on learning.”