NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Chicago, IL, May 10, 2025: The Chicago Board of Education and the New York-based David Lynch Foundation have agreed to a $2.6 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit that alleged Hindu religious coercion through a meditation program introduced in public schools. The settlement, reached on May 8, resolves a three-year legal battle that raised serious constitutional questions around religious freedom and the separation of church and state.
The lawsuit stemmed from the “Quiet Time” program, which was implemented in several Chicago public high schools between 2015 and 2019. Created and promoted by the David Lynch Foundation, the program aimed to help students manage stress and improve academic performance through Transcendental Meditation (TM).
However, the plaintiffs claimed the program included overtly religious components derived from Hindu traditions. According to the lawsuit, students were required to take part in a “puja” ceremony—an act of worship involving Sanskrit chants and offerings to Hindu deities—as a prerequisite for receiving a personal mantra used in meditation. These mantras, according to the complaint, were not arbitrary sounds but names of Hindu gods.
The lawsuit further alleged that participation was at times coerced and that students were discouraged from informing their parents about the religious nature of the program. One of the original plaintiffs, Mariyah Green, said the program conflicted with her Christian beliefs. In a separate ruling in 2023, a federal judge awarded Green $150,000 in damages and legal fees.
In April 2024, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly certified a class of students who had participated in the program and reached adulthood after January 2021. This allowed the case to proceed as a class-action lawsuit under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
While neither the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) nor the David Lynch Foundation admitted wrongdoing, both parties have agreed to pay $2.6 million to settle the claims. The settlement will compensate former students who were part of the program and cover legal fees.
Cover photo designed on Canva by NRIPulse.
