Florida Teacher has class vote Autistic Student out of class

I can't even fathom how this person became a teacher....Not only should she be fired but if its possible she should be thrown in jail. You have to read this story to believe it. Truly disgusting. I hope this woman rots in hell for all of eternity.

Quote:

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Florida Teacher Allegedly Lets Kindergarteners Kick Autistic Boy Out of Class in 'Survivor'-Like Vote
Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Hundreds of parents of autistic children are signing an online petition to get Florida teacher Wendy Portillo fired for her alleged tactics toward a 5-year-old boy that mirror the reality show “Survivor.”

Morningside Elementary School in Port St. Lucie, Fla., alerted Melissa Barton this year that her son, Alex, suffers from a high-functioning form of autism called Asperger's Syndrome, FOX 29 reported.

Barton claims that Alex was punished for symptoms of his disability, such as humming and eating his homework. She says Portillo went too far last week when she kicked Alex out of class, and then allowed the other students to vote on whether he should be allowed back in.

Each student was also allowed to say what he or she did not like about Alex. By a 14-to-2 margin, the students voted Alex out of class, according to The South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

“She said this was her way of correcting his behavior,” Barton said. “I asked him how that made him feel and he said, ‘I feel sad.’”

Barton has filed a complaint with Morningside's school resource officer, who investigated the matter, Port St. Lucie Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Steele told the Sun-Sentinel.

But the state attorney's office decided the matter did not meet criteria for emotional child abuse, so no criminal charges will be filed, Steele said.

The teacher has been disciplined, however.

“Ms. Portillo has been reassigned outside of the classroom at the district offices until any further action may be determined," St. Lucie County School District said in a statement.

Alex has not returned to school since the incident, and Barton says he won’t be going back.

"He was incredibly upset," Barton told the Sun-Sentinel. "The only friend he has ever made in his life was forced to do this."



http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,358956,00.html

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Not really surprised by this. There are people my age becoming teachers who are barely competent enough to shop in the supermarket by themselves, nevermind manage a classroom of children. We are in trouble.

Not surprised either. Hopefully the tribe will speak regarding her actions and she'll be voted out , ...of a job.

I am surprised by this. My wife got into teaching because she loves kids and clearly this was someone who loathes them. I showed her this posting and she yelled at me...alot. I hope karma bites that waste of a human right in the ass.

I, too, know many teachers that are not fit to be so. I know one teacher who had a drug overdose on a Friday night, and was back in class teaching on Monday.

You never know the whole story behind these kinds of things. It could be that the parents were notified about the child's behavior problems, but refused to put him in another class. The poor kid could have been disrupting the class for months, and not letting the kids around him concentrate.

The teacher might not have been able to cope with it any longer, and had to find a way to get the kid out so she could continue here job. There are just so many things that could have gone on to influence her decision.

Anyone see that kid who sued the city for millions because the sidewalk was cracked?

Regardless of whether the child was a nuisance or not, "voting him out" is not the way you deal with it. We don't need to know any more to the story, becuase there couldn't possibly be any reasonable excuse for that.