Kindergarden teacher has child voted out of class

[north19701]

Just sick...

http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/33586


PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- A kindergarten teacher told police she wanted a 5-year-old boy to hear how his behavior was affecting his classmates.

After students shared their view, Morningside Elementary teacher Wendy Portillo had them vote, but said the vote was only to keep Alex Barton out of class for the day, not for good.

"Portillo said she did this as she felt that if (Alex) heard from his classmates how his behavior affected them that it would make a bigger difference to him, rather than just hearing it from adults," according to a report released Thursday morning by the Port St. Lucie Police Department.

Alex was in the process of being tested for Asperger's Syndrome, a type of high-functioning autism, at the time of the incident. His mother, Melissa Barton, said a private psychologist officially diagnosed him Tuesday with an autism-spectrum disorder and attention deficit disorder.

Alex's mother filed a complaint with Morningside's school resource officer about the May 21 incident, saying her child told her he had been voted out of class at the encouragement of the teacher.

She told the officer that after she talked with Portillo about the voting, Portillo "blocked the door for about five minutes to prevent me from leaving the classroom with my child, who was visibly shaken by the abuse."

Portillo and children in the class said Alex was pushing a table up with his feet while he was under the table. The teacher got the school resource officer to remove Alex from the classroom. It was the second discipline referral for Alex that day, the report said.

When Alex returned to the class, Portillo said she and the class were not ready for him to return.

Portillo told the officer she asked Alex to join her at the front of the class.

"She said she then asked him to listen to what the children didn't like about the things he did, and she asked him how it made him feel," the report said. "She said at this time, 'We polled the class' to see how his peers felt about his return at that time."

Alex was voted out, 14 to 2.

Alex told the officer Portillo called his classmates' names out and they said "disgusting" things about him.

"I asked (Alex) what the students said, and he said the students said he eats paper, picks boogers and eats them on top of the table and bites his shoelaces," the report said. "He told me Mrs. Portillo said, 'I hate you right now. I don't like you today'."

The officer asked Alex how the incident made him feel.

"He said it made him feel sad," Alex said according to the report.

Alex also told the officer that Portillo scratched him, stepped on his shoelaces, grabbed his leg and pulled his shirt collar, but the report said Portillo and other children in the class refuted those allegations.

Portillo told the officer after he left with Alex that day, she talked with the other children.

"Portillo said she explained to them that the students in class were all her priority and she would protect them like a 'bear defending her cubs'," the report said.

Alex hasn't been back at Morningside since the incident.

The state attorney's office and Port St. Lucie Police Department concluded the matter did not meet the criteria for emotional child abuse, so no criminal charges will be filed.

(Colleen Wixon is a reporter for Scripps Treasure Coast (Fla.) Newspapers, The Stuart News, Fort Pierce Tribune and Vero Beach Press Journal.)

[korouei]

sounds like that southpark episode where they vote for ike as class president

[Carpathia]

the kid needs to quit eating his boogers

[PowerD]

40 years ago they would just beat the autism out of him.

[lordsess24]

If the kid was goin nuts, I see no problem with it. Wouldn't want my kid see'ing that **** he was doin and thinkin its ok. Also, were a democracy, gtfo, the people have voted!

[eatsleephate]

This is Democracy at work.

Good job teacher man.

[BEQ one]

wow, I know that area.

[BEQ one]

40 years ago they would just beat the autism out of him.

Yeah, abuse doesn't work ****git, it screws people up more.

[GApump]

If the kid was goin nuts, I see no problem with it. Wouldn't want my kid see'ing that **** he was doin and thinkin its ok. Also, were a democracy, gtfo, the people have voted!

lulz, x2. I wouldn't want my kid in a classroom with some autistic kid that is causing disturbances. The kid had gotten removed from the classroom twice for being disruptive that day alone, so I don't even know why they tried to bring the little bastard back.

[mkpat]

dont know how i woulda handled it.

bottom line is disruptive behavior needs to be dealt with in a way that discourages the student from ever doing it again. Her actions were atleast justified.

[bosox1362]

Alex was voted out, 14 to 2.

i lol'd for some reason. haha.

[One More Time]

Alex....your tribe has spoken.


On a serious note, it probably wasn't the right thing to do, but it sounds like the kid should have never been there in the first place. Parents put their special needs kids in school and expect everything to be fine. Then when it doesn't....let's blame someone else.

[Like It Or Not]

I have no problem with what she did.

[PowerD]

Yeah, abuse doesn't work ****git, it screws people up more.

I was joking.






But this generation is out of control compared to the last one.

[edible_eye]

Yeah, abuse doesn't work ****git, it screws people up more.

-----------------------

I'm not sure the teacher handled it the best way, having 5 yr. olds vote on whether or not a classmate should stay in the class, however this does bring up a concerning piece of the educational pie.

Sometimes, children with disabilities aren't appropriate for attendance in a mainstream classroom. Despite the bizarre and often baffling push to make everyone "equal", no matter what, sometimes there are kids who need something a little different from the schooling they receive because, in the general scheme of things, they are a little different from the majority.

[ACslatering]

Just sick...

http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/33586


PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- A kindergarten teacher told police she wanted a 5-year-old boy to hear how his behavior was affecting his classmates.

After students shared their view, Morningside Elementary teacher Wendy Portillo had them vote, but said the vote was only to keep Alex Barton out of class for the day, not for good.

"Portillo said she did this as she felt that if (Alex) heard from his classmates how his behavior affected them that it would make a bigger difference to him, rather than just hearing it from adults," according to a report released Thursday morning by the Port St. Lucie Police Department.

Alex was in the process of being tested for Asperger's Syndrome, a type of high-functioning autism, at the time of the incident. His mother, Melissa Barton, said a private psychologist officially diagnosed him Tuesday with an autism-spectrum disorder and attention deficit disorder.

Alex's mother filed a complaint with Morningside's school resource officer about the May 21 incident, saying her child told her he had been voted out of class at the encouragement of the teacher.

She told the officer that after she talked with Portillo about the voting, Portillo "blocked the door for about five minutes to prevent me from leaving the classroom with my child, who was visibly shaken by the abuse."

Portillo and children in the class said Alex was pushing a table up with his feet while he was under the table. The teacher got the school resource officer to remove Alex from the classroom. It was the second discipline referral for Alex that day, the report said.

When Alex returned to the class, Portillo said she and the class were not ready for him to return.

Portillo told the officer she asked Alex to join her at the front of the class.

"She said she then asked him to listen to what the children didn't like about the things he did, and she asked him how it made him feel," the report said. "She said at this time, 'We polled the class' to see how his peers felt about his return at that time."

Alex was voted out, 14 to 2.

Alex told the officer Portillo called his classmates' names out and they said "disgusting" things about him.

"I asked (Alex) what the students said, and he said the students said he eats paper, picks boogers and eats them on top of the table and bites his shoelaces," the report said. "He told me Mrs. Portillo said, 'I hate you right now. I don't like you today'."

The officer asked Alex how the incident made him feel.

"He said it made him feel sad," Alex said according to the report.

Alex also told the officer that Portillo scratched him, stepped on his shoelaces, grabbed his leg and pulled his shirt collar, but the report said Portillo and other children in the class refuted those allegations.

Portillo told the officer after he left with Alex that day, she talked with the other children.

"Portillo said she explained to them that the students in class were all her priority and she would protect them like a 'bear defending her cubs'," the report said.

Alex hasn't been back at Morningside since the incident.

The state attorney's office and Port St. Lucie Police Department concluded the matter did not meet the criteria for emotional child abuse, so no criminal charges will be filed.

(Colleen Wixon is a reporter for Scripps Treasure Coast (Fla.) Newspapers, The Stuart News, Fort Pierce Tribune and Vero Beach Press Journal.)


Petition Sites

http://www.petitiononline.com/autism08/petition.html


http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Fir...conduct?page=1

my second grade teacher made me sit alone on a table for a half a year because i talked to my neigbours on my original table. I got spanked by her in front of the whole class for using an eraser on my spelling test.

hope she rots in hell.

that kid got it easy imo

[SportFanatic23]

Just sick...

"he picks boogers and eats them on top of the table and bites his shoelaces,"

Yes I agree, eating boogers is disgusting.

Btw the teacher didnt do anything wrong the kid was kicking tables and jumping on top of them. He was going to make all the other kids start misbehaving and was disrupting the class. GTFO outta here with your present day American "discipline is bad" belief.

[forgot password]

it never states what the kid had been doing to disrupt the class. For all we know he made class very difficult to teach if she went to that length. We also don't know if any of the other kids teased him. Alot of that story is left out. It should've never been in the paper. It wasn't that big of a deal what she did, all that needed to be done was to tell the teacher not to do it again.

[eatsleephate]

lol'd.

[north19701]

I have no problem with what she did.

wow, certainly if the kid is a complete disruption he shouldn't be in that particular class and should probably be in a class more geared towards helping him, but to say you have no problem with and educated adult standing a 5 yr old in front of a classroom and humiliating him makes you pretty ****ed up.

[Randall Flagg]

That is not the right way to handle any classroom situation, much less one involving a child with a disability. Kinda ****ed up... teachers just don't know how to handle these kinds of kids.

lulz, x2. I wouldn't want my kid in a classroom with some autistic kid that is causing disturbances. The kid had gotten removed from the classroom twice for being disruptive that day alone, so I don't even know why they tried to bring the little bastard back.

That "little bastard" can't help that he has autism, you know.

On a serious note, it probably wasn't the right thing to do, but it sounds like the kid should have never been there in the first place. Parents put their special needs kids in school and expect everything to be fine. Then when it doesn't....let's blame someone else.

The kid has just as much right to be there as anyone else. Under U.S. law every child has the right to fair and equal education. The problem is implementing it. Obviously teachers and school systems are not properly trained or equipped to handle it.

Strong lack of compassion from the misc tough guys, as usual. I hope some of you guys have a child with a disability someday...

[PowerD]

I hope some of you guys have a child with a disability someday...

Don't you put that curse on me Ricky Bobby!

[kamjah]

haha omg, first time seeing the gif. god that **** is hilarious

[vegetativestate]

Yeah, abuse doesn't work ****git, it screws people up more.

cry?

[edible_eye]

"he picks boogers and eats them on top of the table and bites his shoelaces," ... the teacher didnt do anything wrong the kid was kicking tables and jumping on top of them. He was going to make all the other kids start misbehaving and was disrupting the class. GTFO outta here with your present day American "discipline is bad" beliefs.

I don't know anything about "making them" start to misbehave, however I will say the disruption of class is enough, if it was going on for an extended period, for a formal complaint lodged by the parents of the other children to be a valid means for removing the child.

All the kids are there to learn, not just Alex. And if his behavior becomes or is dangerous inside the classroom and the potential for the other kids to be harmed is there, then I say - Alex, GTFO!

[sharpshooterz98]

I'm not even sure if I buy the autism thing. EVERYONE is now bipolar and/or autistic, not to mention 99% of kids "have" ADD (hint: its called being a kid). Everything is over diagnosed and over medicated.

[ocks]

cant say i feel bad for the kid at all... if ur disrupting the class get the **** out why deprive the other children because that one is a nut?

[BlkDrgn06]

For those of us who are black, though..............

[taz55]

dont know how i woulda handled it.

bottom line is disruptive behavior needs to be dealt with in a way that discourages the student from ever doing it again. Her actions were atleast justified.

x2 couldn't agree more. I use to work at an elementary school. those kids get way out of hand. I have seen them overturn teachers desk's throw stuff around and just be out of control. its about time someone steps up and shows them how others perceive there actions. I applaud her.

[SportFanatic23]

I don't know anything about "making them" start to misbehave, however I will say the disruption of class is enough, if it was going on for an extended period, for a formal complaint lodged by the parents of the other children to be a valid means for removing the child.

All the kids are there to learn, not just Alex. And if his behavior becomes or is dangerous inside the classroom and the potential for the other kids to be harmed is there, then I say - Alex, GTFO!

I lol'd

I didn't necessarily mean "make" them misbehave but his behavior would probably "influence" others to start misbehaving. If he starts throwing pencils at people some other little boy might also join in. Besides if I was lifting tables off the ground with my feet when I was in kindergarten I would've sat in the principal's office the whole day. Just because he has autism doesn't mean he can do whatever he wants for the entire day. He had already been kicked out of the classroom twice and still hadn't learned his lesson.