ACLU Sues North Carolina School for Barring Peace Activist

Something tells me the ACLU has never been to the schools in this district. Otherwise, they wouldn't be so opposed to the job opportunities that the military provides these students.

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit against a rural North Carolina school system that barred a peace activist from talking to high school students about alternatives to joining the military.

The lawsuit, filed Monday, says the Wilkes County school district and its superintendent violated the First Amendment by preventing Sally Ferrell from distributing pamphlets and other materials that warn students to think twice before joining the military.

The legal group is asking a judge to issue an injunction to allow Ferrell, a member of N.C. Peace Action, to distribute the materials and give her the same access to students as military recruiters who are allowed in the schools.

The case began in early 2005 when Ferrell, 63, a Quaker and longtime peace activist, became involved in the counter recruiting movement.

In recent years, thousands of people like Ferrell have joined dozens of counter recruiting groups. They say military recruiters have given students misleading information and often target high schools in poor and rural areas where options for graduating students are limited. And after years of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan - and more than 4,600 soldiers killed and 64,000 wounded in both wars - the activists want students to know they have other prospects.

Most schools have allowed counter recruiters. So Ferrell was optimistic when she began collecting materials from anti-war groups. In March 2005, she asked the district for permission to talk to students.

But Laws reviewed the materials and told her he wasn't going to let her in the district's five high schools. He said the military was a good career choice for students who weren't going to college. He also said he didn't think people should say anything negative about the military.

"Why rip apart the military because you don't like it?" Laws said. "It's wrong. I'm not going to allow that in my schools."

The school board backed Laws' decision.