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| Dana Cody |
“Bill Diss is a well qualified teacher with a track record
of success,” states Dana Cody, President and Executive Director of Life Legal Defense Foundation, and a frequent guest on Faith on Trial. “As the circumstances surrounding this termination
demonstrate, Mr. Diss has done nothing that would merit being fired from his
job. LLDF will pursue every possible avenue in defending Mr. Diss’ rights in
this matter, and hopes to see his rights ultimately protected despite PPS’
actions.”
Background:
Bill Diss has taught Technology, Math, Computers and Electronics at Benson High
School since 2002. He has also taught several classes at the community college
level. He is highly regarded in his abilities and his success both by students
themselves, by their parents, and fellow teachers. Mr. Diss is the only teacher
in the state of Oregon who has been certified as qualified to teach college
level computer science to high school students for dual credit. His initiative
and hard work have attracted outside grants to Benson opening up even greater
opportunities for Benson students. For the first five years at Benson High, Mr.
Diss was rated as proficient or better, with numerous positive compliments in
his reviews. Mr. Diss’ methodology and teaching style has remained
substantially the same in all his years of teaching.
The positive reviews took a dramatic change for the worse,
however, when Mr. Diss began to speak out in opposition to the building of a
new Planned Parenthood facility in downtown Portland. Mr. Diss was involved in
opposition activities on his own time, and did not bring his political or religious
convictions into his instruction in the classroom. Nonetheless, he began to
experience complaints about his political activities from school
administrators, and his teaching came under sudden, rigorous scrutiny.
Complaints, negative evaluations, letters of reprimand and formal meetings
became a regular part of Mr. Diss’ life at school for as long as he engaged in
outspoken, public opposition to Planned Parenthood.
Shortly after the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year,
presenters with the Teen Outreach Program (TOP) came to Mr. Diss’ tutorial
classes to give a presentation recruiting students for the TOP program. When
presenters entered the tutorial, Mr. Diss, consistent with District policy,
asked for identification. He was handed a card that identified the presenters
as employees of Planned Parenthood. This knowledge surprised Mr. Diss, and
caused him serious emotional distress due to his well-known personal religious
convictions and his years of work to oppose that organization. He expressed his
dilemma to Benson Principal, Carol Campbell at the time and asked to be excused
from being present for the presentation due to his religious convictions. His
request was denied. He was told that he would be required to be present for the
TOP presentation. Through the remainder of the school year during which he
taught, Mr. Diss continued to have to deal with Planned Parenthood staff as
they administered the TOP program.
Simultaneous to his request not to be involved with TOP, Mr.
Diss’ teaching came under renewed censorial review. Mr. Diss accepted the input
from school administration, but the year proved to be extremely stressful,
including numerous classroom observations and meetings with school
administration. On March 19, 2013 school administrators summarily demanded that
Mr. Diss leave the school premises and not return—placing him on paid
administrative leave. Mr. Diss was told to leave the school and was escorted
off the premises by a police officer. This unnecessary show of force is
symbolic of the animus faced by Mr. Diss throughout the year.
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