The Chicago School Board and the New York-based David Lynch Foundation pay former Chicago Public Schools $2.6 million rather than indoctrinating forced transcendental meditation. On May 7, 2025, U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kennelly for the Northern District of Illinois approved a class action settlement.
The funds will be distributed to 773 individuals. The 773 individuals must either have students from Chicago’s public high schools taking part in Transcendental Meditation as part of the in-school curriculum or be taken away from 30 minutes of academic guidance every day and remain silent.
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The Chicago School Board was founded by filmmaker David Lynch and partnered with the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace to fund transcendental meditation instruction in schools. Although presented as a secular movement, transcendental meditation is rooted in Hinduism. The American Foundation for Hindus describes this practice as “completely and clearly Hindus.”
The mandatory school participation violated student rights and even included private contracts. At least one student shared how she and her classmates were instructed to not tell anyone through the programme to anyone, including her parents. Representatives of the David Lynch Foundation are said to have specifically warned against notifying religious parents.
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Attorney John Mauck of Mauck & Baker, along with court-appointed plaintiff Kaya Hudgins, represented the student class.
“The settlement certifies the concerns of former students and parents that the initiational ceremony and daily meditation regime were effectively a demonic call and therefore violated the constitutional establishment provisions,” Mauck said. “We hope this settlement will stop those who exploit young people and encourage the Chicago School Board to be vigilant against hurting students by preying on sheep that wolves have a duty to protect.”
Hudgins, now 22, was the main plaintiff in a class action lawsuit. She said she was 16 years old and was forced to participate in a program called “Quiet Time.” Her participation was mandatory despite personal objections. She explained how the program, despite its harmless title, includes private one-on-one Hindu “puja” worship services in dark rooms, chan chanting, religious tools, and secret mantras, which are indeed the name of Hindu gods.
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“I was just a teenager when I was pressured by a program I didn’t understand, but I was not allowed to ask questions,” Kaya Hadjins said. “Students should not be forced into religious practices against their will, not particularly public schools. This settlement is a step towards accountability and reminds us that constitutional rights do not stop at the classroom door.”
Hudgins’ attorneys petitioned the court for class action status granted on April 19, 2024 for all students who participated in the Chicago Public Schools Quiet Time Program between the fall 2015 and spring 2019 school years and who reached the age of 18 after January 13, 2021.
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