Raseiniai
In March 1980 Raseiniai secondary schools no. 1 and 2 were ordered to draw up lists of children who serve at mass and present them to the party committee.
Šaukotas (Radviliškis Rayon)
In a statement addressed to the Soviet government on March 12, 1980, Father Bronius Gimzauskas wrote:
"On March 11,1980, fifth-grader Ričardas Kriaučiūnas returned home from school in tears. When his parents asked him why he was crying, Ričardas complained that the school principal, [Miss] Filomena Taujenskaitė, had summoned him to her office and called him a religious fanatic and retarded, and said he was shaming the school by serving at mass. The principal ordered him to write an explanation of why he attends church.
"Because Principal Taujenskaitė reproached him for attending church while being a member of the Pioneers and claimed it is forbidden to attend church before the age of eighteen, his parents, Aldona ana Petras, took his Pioneer neck scarf and the USSR Constitution to the principal. They asked her to read Paragraph 52, which states that every USSR citizen can profess any religion whatsoever and that citizens are guaranteed the freedom of conscience.
"This is the second time that Principal F. Taujenskaitė of the Šaukotas school has brutally violated the Constitution and persecuted believing children.
"On October 2, 1979, a teacher's relative, [Mrs.] A. Kapitanskienė, was buried in Šaukotas with church rites. After the schoolchildren had brought wreaths into the church and placed them by the casket, the principal immediately ordered them to leave the church so they could not stay for the services."
Kvėdarna (Šilalė Rayon)
Vytautas Tamošauskas, wishing to help his family (his father is deceased), began to work as an organist at the Kvėdarna church. He wanted to study at the night school. The vice chairman of the Šilale Rayon Executive Committee terrorized Vytautas for a long time in an attempt to dissuade him from the organist's job and force him to attend school during the day. The persistent mother wrote complaint after complaint and won. On December 1979 the school informed her that her son was to begin attending night school.
Marijampolė (Kapsukas)
On March 29, 1980, eleventh-grader Arvydas Vružinskas died tragically. Arvydas and his parents were Catholics, therefore, the funeral arrangements were Catholic. In an attempt to disrupt the religious funeral, the administration of Secondary School no. 2 offered its services: to allow schoolchildren to accompany the coffin and to provide an orchestra. The parents declined the services offered under such conditions. His homeroom teacher, [Mrs.] Brazauskienė, made one more attempt to dissuade the parents, but was unsuccessful. The school administration forbade Arvydas's friends to accompany the deceased to the church. Parents' Committee member [Mrs.] Svirnienė, a Communist, threatened children at the Vružinskas home that their conduct grade would be lowered and that they would be unable to enroll in schools of higher education if they dared to accompany Arvydas to church. She assured them that Kapsukas Party Secretary Sinickas himself had personally forbidden students to accompany Arvydas to the church. The intimidated students accompanied the deceased to the church, but did not have the courage to remain for the services.
Tauragė
Secondary School no. 2. Spring, 1980, marks the start the second year that grade 9B student Sigitas Jucikas has been the victim of special harassment by the security police. During the summer of 1979 the young boy was involved in an accident on his bicycle and injured his head. The security police have been continually harassing the boy in the hope that the physically weakened youth will be unable to withstand the pressure and will agree to their suggestions. Security agent Antanas Laurinavičius meets with him several times a month. When Sigitas Jucikas refused to come to the state security department, Security agent Laurinavičius jeered: "There is no place where you can run from us! You will have to meet with us even if you are unwilling!" When the student is summoned to the military commissariat, he meets there the Chekist Laurinavičius. "You see, you cannot escape!" mocks the security agent. The school nurse brings him a notice to go to the doctor for a checkup, but when he arrives at the doctor's office in the polyclinic, he again finds that same security agent.
The young man is required to give detailed descriptions of his friends and acquaintances. He is asked about every move he makes. Furthermore, he is threatened with physical punishment. The security agents most strictly forbid him to tell even his mother about these "talks."
The privacy of correspondence is violated. Sigitas's letters are actually analyzed during interrogations. As a result of the continual terrorization, the youth's health is beginning to deteriorate. He is becoming increasingly withdrawn and avoids his friends because after he sees them the security police demand that he betray everyone.
Tauragė
Toward the end of November 1979 at Tauragė Secondary School no. 6, in an attempt to intimidate fourth-grader [Miss] Jurgita Šiniauskaitė, who is a believer, her teacher [Mrs.] Montvilienė, wrote several "C's" in mathematics next to her good grades so she would be unable to complete the term with "A's" and receive an exemplary conduct grade. The girl had not received"C's" in either oral or written work. This is how she was punished for participating in a church procession.
* * *
On January 15, 1980, Remigijus Žebelys, an eleventh-grade student of the Secondary School no. 4 was summoned to the rayon military commissariat. To Remigijus's surprise, the door to the military commissariat was politely opened by Security agent Laurinavičius, who introduced himself as Antanas. He asked the student whether he planned to enter the theological seminary and offered his assistance. "We'll help you, you help us; we'll place you into the seminary, and you'll give us bits of information."
* * *
On January 26,1980, at Secondary School no. 1, tenth-grader Gintaras Jonikas was summoned to the Tauragė Rayon military commissariat. There he was also met by Security Police agent Antanas Laurinavičius. The Chekist asked what Gintaras intended to study; who his friends were; who attended church; etc. "You must definitely go to Žemaičių. Kalvarija! See whom the rosary is passed to, and what priests or other persons lead these ceremonies." Gintaras did not go to Žemaicių Kalvarija and vowed never again to go when he was summoned to meet with the security police.
* * *
On February 16,1980, at Tauragė Secondary School no. 5, Archarova, a Russian-language teacher, called on some ill-behaved students to answer and, in an attempt to mock believing students, stated: "You probably attend church because it is only there that such cheats and liars assemble." At this point model student [Miss] Aurelija Saveikytė spoke up: "I too, it seems, belong among cheats and liars, for I attend church!" The schoolgirl's courage so surprised the teacher that she became confused and flustered.
* * *
On February 29, 1980, at School no. 5, [Mrs.] Krikštaponiene, a Lithuanian-language teacher, selected a dictation on an atheistic theme. Grade-6A student [Miss] Aurelija Saveikytė capitalized the word God. For this "offense" the girl was kept after school in order to learn to write the word God with a small letter.
