PORTLAND, Ore. — A judge ruled that a Portland teacher must allow Planned Parenthood employees into his classroom to promote their program and that it is in no way a burden on his religious beliefs or activities.
Pro-life activist Bill Diss filed a religious discrimination case against Portland Public Schools. The court granted the Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment in its entirety, stating that there were no legally significant facts in dispute for the case to go before a jury.
The case arose out of Diss’ concerns about Planned Parenthood’s involvement in Oregon’s public schools, including his objection to hosting a recruitment effort for a Planned Parenthood program in his classroom.
Diss told Planned Parenthood that they were not allowed in his classroom. The school board for the Portland Public School District voted to terminate the Math and Computer Science teacher’s contract after Planned Parenthood’s lobbying effort.
Diss was only teacher in Oregon who has been certified to teach college level computer science to high school students for dual credit.
Life Legal attorneys plan to appeal the decision to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
“We are honored to represent Bill Diss and we will continue to fight for his First Amendment rights,” said Alexandra Snyder, Executive Director for the Life Legal Defense Foundation. “The court’s ruling means that teachers such as Mr. Diss should not be afforded the full protection of the Constitution. We vehemently disagree and we look forward to pursuing his case on appeal.”
— CNJ staff