A Port St. Lucie, Florida parent is threatening to sue after her son’s kindergarten teacher led his classmates to “vote him out of class.”
After each classmate was allowed to say what they didn’t like about Barton’s 5-year-old son, Alex, his Morningside Elementary teacher Wendy Portillo said they were going to take a vote, Melissa Barton. By a 14 to 2 margin, the students voted Alex — who is in the process of being diagnosed with autism — out of the class.
Barton filed a complaint with the school resource officer, who investigated the matter, according to Port St. Lucie Department spokeswoman Michelle Steele, who said the teacher confirmed the incident took place. The state attorney’s office concluded the matter did not meet the criteria for emotional child abuse, so no criminal charges will be filed, Steele said. The district is investigating, not surprisingly.
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Wow. How did this teacher get her teaching degree? Where is her common sense? What a perfect opportunity to teach her 5 year olds about disabilities and differences and how best to handle when someone is disruptive or if they ‘just plain don’t like someone’. How to look past someone’s behavior to their value as a person and classmate. She should be fired…period.
I have a five year old son with autism; my child will now go on, confidently; to first grade. If we hadn’t been so “blessed” to have a teacher- and a team of help- who took their education seriously and seen the potential for my son I don’t know whare we would be today.
While it is true that educating a child with autism requires extra patience and extra help-school have funding for this; if the teacher could not handle this childs needs she should have requested intervention a long time ago. If The proceass of evaluation would have been moved up Alex would have qualified for an aide to help[ him so that they could help him work through the difficulties of being in a classroom situation as well as provide a minimum of distractions for his classmates.
This teacher should be fired- children aren’t judgemental and prdjudice-adults bring that out in them. If I was a parent to one of the children in that class who were put in the position of “having” to vote- I would be almost as angry as the parent who’s child was voted out. It was “imature, unresponcible and unethical for this teacher to involve those children in what should have been handled in an IEP process to determine where Alex would best be suited. Every child has a right to an education- if being mainstreamed was difficult for Alex- there were other possibilities that are available through an IEP and diagnosis process-not by being voted out by a teacher and her pupils. I would not want this woman to have any influence on any of my children- special needs or not. By the way for any of you parents that are uninformed- parents who have children with disabilities want the best education for their child too, we cannot place them into specialty schools without recommendations from an IEP and dianosis process- it is largly up to the school and doctore what our children “qualify” for- don’t even think for a moment we don’t care, or we aren’t worried sick about them being mainstreamed- this is the “choice” public education has given our kids.
After reading a couple of other blogs I just have to comment again; On one blog a teacher states “parents” push for their child to be diagnosed with autism (or other lables) Let me tell you that when I had to go through the diagnosis/evaluation for my child it was “heartbreaking” tp realize the only way my son could get a fair chance at a normal education was to have this lable put on him. I tried everything to help my son prior to school, including ringing up tremendous bills for therapy and surgery he needed. The only way my son would “qualify” for any additional help in school was to have that lable put on him- and this was the recommendation of the school/doctor’s- not mine. I would have done anything to keep him from having to “wear” a lable- but if I did that at the expence of what help I could get for him than who was I helping-my own vanity? I don’t care what other people think I should do or not do for my son- my goal is to have him be the best he can be; not make brownie points at the PTO.
These children with autism (and today there are many) grow up and work next to you and your children when they are adults- to help them become valuable members in our society they need as much help as they can get while they are young; to not include them, to not help them-is senceless; You will just create larger problems later. Most children with autism are quite capable of learning and can even be brilliant- once you unlock the keys to how that child learns.
For us, it has been a remarkable year- for teachers who were nervous at the beginning of my sons journey through kindergarten; they are everso proud of the progress he has made through their kindness, patience and yes., love- these teachers love my child. Children with autism can become very lovable and it is a honoe and accomplishment to know that your “persistance” can change a life fo the better-which in my opinon - should be every teachers goal; to help a child become their best-no matter what disability they have to overcome.
What kind of teacher is this!!! I am also a teacher and I can’t believe that another teacher would ever think of such an awful and hurtful thing to do to a child. This poor child will always remember that he was voted out. This is not Survivor!!! This is kindergarten. I have a son in kindergarten right now and I can honestly say that if this happened to him I would not only go after the teacher, who in my opinion should not only get her license revoked but be put in jail for child abuse, I would also go after the school for allowing her to have a classroom in the first place and backing her in this stupid decision. This not only affects the child but also the rest of the class. He will be forever known as the one who was voted out and the class will have to live with that decision and the hurt is caused forever also. I can’t believe that the state attorney’s office didn’t see the abuse in this. It makes me sick!!!!! I pray that the family can get past this horrible situation quickly and find it in their heart to someday forgive the teacher for her stupidity.
I think that teacher should be fired on the spot. How horrid for that little boy to have to sit through that kind of humiliation. She should be ashamed of herself. I hope that teacher does not have any children of her own, because she is definately teaching poor values even in her class.
The mother should most definatley sue everone involved, even if only to set an example of what kind of behavior is acceptable.
I am so grateful that MY son, who has been diagnosed with a slight touch of autism ( after a few years of testing) does not attend Morningside elementary.
Wendy Portillo is a piece of TRASH.