Vilnius
On June 25 [Mrs.] V. Žemaitiene, a teacher at the Prienai Secondary School, gave her student, [Miss] Marytė Kazlauskaitė, a letter of reference which contained the words "Deeply religious." The girl took her documents to the Vilnius School of Commerce (143 Žirmūnai St.). A review board consisting of six members met on July 10. A member of the board picked up her papers and said, "Spend three more years in the church — maybe you'll come to your senses. Then, you can come here and be admitted."
Utena
On March 1, 1979, nineteen-year-old Mindaugas Jauniškis, the victim of a tragic death, was buried at the Biliakiemis cemetery. At 11 a.m. all his classmates from the Vilnius Construction Engineering Institute arrived at
the cemetery, as did a large group of his brother's friends (about fifty persons). A local instructor of the institute also participated. The Institute's Assistant Dean [Mrs.] Vida Montvilienė (the former Kazlauskienė), who had come in a private automobile, forbade the students to attend the church services saying, "Do you want to hear old women cackle?" The students carrying the casket brought it as far as the church and did not participate any further; they were taken back to Vilnius. Although they were hungry (they hadn't eaten since early morning), the assistant dean would not allow them to stop at the deceased's parental home, which was on the way and would not have taken much time. As if that weren't enough, Assistant Dean Montvilienė also warned the photographer not to take any pictures of the priest coming out to meet the casket because some of the students might be included in the pictures. The instructor who was present went back to Vilnius with Montvilienė.
Apparently, Montvilienė had telephoned the Vilnius Communist party asking instructions about the funeral, and they had sent her on this "unusual mission."
Kybartai
At a Kybartai Secondary School faculty meeting on August 30 [Mrs.] Kazlauskienė, who teaches Russian, hysterically demanded that administrative measures be taken against the Kybartai pastor, Fr. Sigitas Tamkevičius, because it had become utterly impossible to carry on any atheistic work near him.
Judrėnai
At the Judrėnai Elementary School one of the teachers, [Mrs.] Kiekštienė, especially terrorizes those pupils who have not joined the Pioneers or who attend church.
In December 1978 just before Christmas, she ordered fifth-grader Saulius Pulkauskas to remove a cross and chain from his neck. When he failed to obey, she stood behind him and publicly removed it, ridiculing Christ's Passion, "He is suffering. Wouldn't it be better if I tied a Pioneer's scarf around your neck?" But, Saulius, an altar boy, replied firmly, "I still won't wear it!" When his mother went to see the teacher and asked for the return of the cross, Kiekštienė sneered at her and did not give it back.
During the months of March and April 1979 Kiekštienė called on for recitation Vytautas Stonys, [Miss] Kazė Papievytė, [Miss] Ruta Papievytė, and others who had not joined the Communist Youth League and who attend church. Their answers were worth a "B." Before entering the marks, the teacher asked them whether they attended church. When they admitted that they did, she gave them "D's" and told them to be seated. She has acted this way several times with other students, always threatening that they will fail their exams.
Henrikas Jokša, the school principal, is no different from her. He constantly summons religious students to his office, trying to intimidate them; meeting them in the hall, he persistently interrogates them on whether or not they still attend church. Receiving an affirmative answer, he shouts, "If you go, I’ll settle with you during exams — you'll fail!"
Kurtuvėnai (Šiauliai Rayon)
In May 1979 Kurtuvėnai Elementary School Principal [Miss] Čepulytė and [Mrs.] Stanelienė, a teacher, questioned fourth-graders IMiss) Romana Andriuškaitė, Rasa Rimaitė, and others on whether or not they go to church. The two girls admitted that they believed in Cod. Romana was threatened that if she continued to do so, she would not be allowed to attend school.
Homeroom teacher Bečys ordered Rasa Rimaitė to write a statement saying that she did not believe in God and that she would no longer participate in church processions. The girl refused. The other girls became afraid and wrote the statements the way their teacher dictated. This type of terrorization occurred in other classes as well.
Šiauliai
On August 30 of this year, during a city teachers' conference at the Šiauliai Cultural Center, S. Verkulis, second secretary of the Šiauliai Party Committee, speaking on the shortcomings of the work of educators, announced that the most reprehensible thing which must be eliminated is the association of certain teachers and even Pedagogical Institute instructors with religious persons.
Vyžuonos
On January 11, 1978, Principal Vaišnoras of the Vyžuonos school summoned tenth-grade student Algimantas Petkūnas to his office and tried to force him to promise not to serve at mass by threatening to transfer him to another school.
The next day homeroom teacher [Mrs.] Brasiūniene again tried to convince the student not to attend church by threatening to give him a "D" for conduct.
On February 2 Brasiūniene once more pressured Algimantas by demanding that he transfer to another school. In addition, the teacher insulted Algimantas's mother, also a believer.
On February 13 the Užpaliai Township Chairwoman also attacked Algimantas's mother for "ruining" her son and assured her that he would never be a priest.
In the fall of 1978 the students were required to answer a questionnaire: Are you religious? Do your parents believe? and so on. Algimantas Petkūnas, instead of answering the required questions, wrote the following quotation from volume 6, page 364 of Lenin's works: "No official has the right to question anyone about faith; it is a matter of conscience, and no one has the right to interfere." At the end of the third term the student's deportment mark was a D.
The potential graduates were examined in the beginning of June. When the written portion of the Lithuanian-language exam had been completed, Principal Vaišnoras announced that the entire class had passed; however, several days later it turned out that Algimantas Petkūnas would have to retake the examination in the fall. After Algimantas passed the supplementary exam on September 21, his homeroom teacher, Brasiūnienė, urgently asked him if he really were going to enroll in the seminary. His character reference stated: "Algimantas's character has been greatly influenced by his mother, who is religious and wants her son to be a priest."
At the present time the atheists are going to great lengths to show that religious convictions are not noted in any official documents. Unfortunately, facts unmask the propaganda.
