let freedom ring

by Kristian Foden-Vencil, Oregon Public Broadcasting Sept. 9, 2003

PORTLAND, OR — Four people, protesting the presence of military recruiters in Portland schools, were found guilty of trespass yesterday for holding signs in a prohibited area of the school district's auditorium during a board meeting last spring.

The four were protesting the district's decision to open student records to military recruiters. Michael Sonnleitner was fined only $5 but says the district shouldn't hand over a pupil's grades and attendance records to military recruiters, unless a parent specifically agrees.

Michael Sonnleitner: The judge didn't see us as much of a security threat. There was not a single person there who described us as disruptive, not the police, not the chair of the board. The case hinged entirely on: can you hold signs in that space against our guidelines for rules of conduct.

The Portland Public School District had banned military recruiters for several years before the attacks of 9/11. A rider in President Bush's No Child Left Behind' legislation, threatened to cut federal funds if schools didn't allow military recruiters.