RALEIGH - Former Enloe High School teacher Robert Escamilla is looking for more than just support; he also wants donations to finance a legal challenge to personnel actions taken against him for hosting a guest speaker who denounced Islam.

Escamilla drew 75 people to a rally Tuesday where supporters solicited donations over plates of barbecue at Hideaway BBQ. Billy Strickland, his lead attorney, said it could cost as much as $75,000 in legal fees.

"If this is going to the next level, it's going to take a lot of horsepower," said Chuck Campbell, the emcee of the rally and the host of Take A Stand, a local conservative television show. "That's not going to happen without a lot of money."

Rosa Gill, chairwoman of the school board, said she wasn't worried about legal action. "He can go to court if he wants," she said.

After the guest speaker denounced Islam in February, it resulted in complaints from some Enloe parents, the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a national Muslim advocacy group. Escamilla was suspended with pay for 90 days and later transferred to Phillips High School, an alternative school. He appealed the disciplinary action, and the school board ruling against him this month.

The 18-year Wake teacher, whose Web site is www.freeesco.com, has billed his issue as a case of academic freedom and freedom of speech. "Stand up," Escamilla said at the rally. "Speak up for the truth, for what it is right, and for freedom."

Escamilla also released parts of his personnel files Tuesday to dispute the Wake County school system's contention that he is a bad teacher who is out to convert students to Christianity. Personnel records are normally confidential, but school board members previously released parts of Escamilla's file because they said the teacher and his supporters were making misleading statements that attacked the board's integrity.

The information released by the school board included a reprimand from Superintendent Del Burns and a negative evaluation from Enloe Principal Beth Cochran. Burns accused Escamilla of knowingly bringing in the guest speaker to denounce Islam and promote Christianity. The records accused Escamilla of being a lax teacher who had no lesson plans and gave students little classwork. He also was accused of making derogatory remarks to students of different religions and sexual orientations.

The records Escamilla released Tuesday show he received high marks on his evaluations before the review from Cochran in May. Escamilla also provided letters of support from current and former students and fellow teachers.

In one message, Jenny Myers, a former student, thanked Escamilla for his tolerance. "I was (and I still am) a practicing wiccan, and your tolerance and respect for our differences of opinion meant a lot to me during a very stressful time in my spirituality," Myers wrote.

But Ann Majestic, the school board's attorney, countered that the public hasn't seen all the records that led to the board's decision. She said those files had not been released by the board to protect student confidentiality.

Escamilla also released documents showing his awards, including certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. He was also a mentor teacher who worked with new teachers and student teachers. He also represented Enloe at conferences and programs around the world.

Gill said Superintendent Del Burns hadn't ignored Escamilla's prior service when he chose to not to fire him. "If he had been a poor teacher in prior years, I don't think he would have gotten a second chance," Gill said.