12:36 PM PST on Friday, February 4, 2005

By ABE ESTIMADA, kgw.com Staff

Portland Public Schools school board member Derry Jackson, just released from a Washington County Jail in Hillsboro for violating a restraining order to protect his estranged wife, is pondering a run at another term on the school board.

KGW

Derry Jackson speaks during a Friday news conference.

Derry Jackson’s pronouncement that he may run for re-election to the school board comes at the same time he refuted media stories that have circulated about his disputes with his estranged wife, Bernel Jackson.

Derry Jackson is charged with five counts of violating a Washington County judge’s restraining order barring him from contacting Bernel Jackson. The incidents occurred in December 2004 and January 2005.

“Since this is a legal matter, I am not at liberty to speak about the particulars of the case,” Jackson said on Friday during a news conference.

“Derry Jackson is not and has never been a violent person. I have never threatened violence, nor do I use the concept of violence to intimidate people.”

According to terms of the restraining order, Derry Jackson can contact Bernel Jackson once per day between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. to discuss parenting issues. He is prevented from coming within 50 feet of her.

Bernel Jackson sought the order in September, writing that Derry Jackson entered her home in August and left threatening messages on her home and cell phones and letters in her car.

Derry Jackson’s close friend, Chad Debnam, said he was picking up and returning the couple’s son at Bernel Jackson’s Washington County home on Monday. Later that night, Portland police arrested Derry Jackson at his north Portland home.

Derry Jackson’s friends posted the $50,000 bail, and he was released on Thursday night.

Derry Jackson on Friday said he would carefully consider another run at the school board and weigh his wishes to serve to the public with meeting the needs of his youngest son, Dylan.

“I can’t say definitely today whether I’ll run or not,” Derry Jackson said. “I’m going to take one day at a time. Like most, if not all parents, I want the best for my child. And I want him and the world to know that is the purpose of my all actions.”

Jackson’s four-year term is up in June. He was first appointed by the board in 1999 to represent an area mainly representing north Portland. He won a seat on the school board in 2000 and began serving as an elected member in 2001.

But later that year, Jackson told an Oregonian reporter “Jews run the country.” The anti-Semitic remarks provoked a community outcry and sparked two, failed recall efforts. Jackson apologized for what he said but refused to step down.

A defiant Derry Jackson said he won’t resign from the board this time either and vowed to finish out his term by focusing on closing the achievement gap, helping teachers, seeking fiscal accountability in the Portland Public Schools, and helping boost student achievement in math and science.

“I joined the board to serve a constituency that was underserved, and my allegiance and alliance are still with those folks,” Derry Jackson said. “As I’ve told my children and anyone that I’ve had the honor to mentor or educate: Never give up, never give up, never give up.”