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--> --> Bunn ordered to reconsider ruling on Scouts PORTLAND (AP) - A Multnomah County judge on Wednesday ordered the state superintendent to reconsider a decision that allows Boy Scouts of America recruiters on campus during school hours. The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon filed a lawsuit last April on behalf of sixth-grader Remington Powell and his mother, Nancy, saying Portland public schools were violating a state law that prohibits religious discrimination by allowing the recruiters to work during school hours. Both Remington and his mother are atheists. The suit names Portland public schools and State Superintendent Stan Bunn as defendants and seeks to prohibit scout recruiters from operating at public schools during school hours. It does not seek monetary damages. After a six-hour hearing Wednesday, Judge Ellen Rosenblum said Bunn was wrong to conclude in July that there was not enough evidence of religious discrimination to proceed with the case. Bunn's ruling allowed the Boy Scouts to continue making presentations during school hours. The ACLU was granted Wednesday's judicial hearing to provide supplementary evidence that the presentations violated the state's discrimination statute. "Rosenblum did all but turn (Bunn) over her knee," Nancy Powell said. "I am ecstatic. It goes back to him after he's been told he's wrong." Andrea Meyer, an ACLU lawyer, said Bunn or another hearing officer will now consider the case a second time. Any finding could be appealed in a judicial court, she said. The Powells' case against the school district goes back to 1996, when Remington Powell, then 6, was among first-graders who were given a presentation on scouting during their lunch hour. Remington testified Wednesday that he was fascinated by the Boy Scouts and was devastated to learn he couldn't join the group because he was an atheist. He said most other boys joined, including three of his close friends. He recalled a school administrator fastening a wristband onto his arm during the Scout presentation in the cafeteria. The band was an "invitation" to an evening information session for parents, he said. "It sounded like fun and I wanted to try it," said Powell, who is now 11. "(My mother) looked at me and said, 'Remmy, the Boy Scouts don't accept our kind.' I started crying, I was sobbing." Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing