KAŠUČIAI
In September, 1973, a fourth-class student at the eight-year school in Kašučiai (Kretinga Rayon) named Andrijauskas died. His devout parents buried their son with religious rites. School Principal Povilaitis forbade the students to participate in their friend's funeral procession.
"Where the Church plays a role, that is no place for us," stated the principal.
Hearing the mournful funeral music, the students wept during the entire lesson, but they were not allowed to leave their classroom.
Whenever Principal Povilaitis sees any of his students in Darbėnai, where the church is located, he accuses them, "You've been to church, you degenerate!" The principal upbraids the suspects in class, and lowers their marks.
Povilaitis has been in charge of the Kašučiai eight-year school for eight years now. One former student recounts how the principal used to try to force them to join the Young Communist League. During class time the principal would pick out some student and demand, "Are you going to join the Young Communist League?" If the pupil refused, the principal would grab the student's hand and whack it against his desk. Some even had their knuckles bloodied. After one such execution, the students wrote a protest to the Ministry of Education. A commission arrived and supposedly checked out the facts, but the principal continues to terrorize the students who are believers.
ŠNAUKŠTAI
In 1970 [Mrs.] Domarkienė, head of the Pioneers at the Šnaukštai eight-year school, kept fourth-class students after school and pressured them to enroll in the Pioneers. The teacher "educated" those who did not want to join by striking their hands with a ruler. Two students—Lūžas and [Miss] Veserytė—suffered the most. The teacher whacked at their hands until they bled. The parents of these pupils asked teacher Domarkienė who had given her the right to strike their children and to forcibly enroll them in the Pioneers? The blushing teacher tried to explain that all talented students are required to join the Pioneers. She had resorted to severe measures in an attempt to break down the stubborness of her pupils. The parents threatened not to send their children to school if such "educative" means were going to be used.
ŠILUTĖ
During 1970 [Mrs.] Arlauskienė, a teacher at the Šilutė eight-year school, spent much time trying to demonstrate to the sixth-class students that there is no God and that only the ignorant believe in him. "Let's all shout together now three times 'There is no God!'" the teacher urged. The only one who shouted out loud, however, was Arlauskienė, and only a few timid voices chimed in.
One seventh-class student says that at that time he knew nothing about God since his father was a zealous atheist.
"But now that I have gotten to know the truths of the faith, I would boldly cry out, 'Teacher, you're mistaken —God exists!'" the boy said.
