61° CLOUDY,
News
Elementary school teacher suspended after autistic child voted out of class
Published: Wednesday, November 19, 2008 at 12:45 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, November 19, 2008 at 2:09 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, November 19, 2008 at 2:09 p.m.
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – A St. Lucie County teacher who let her kindergarteners decide whether an autistic child could remain in class has been suspended.
The county school board voted unanimously Tuesday night to suspend Morningside Elementary School teacher Wendy Portillo without pay for one year.
The incident arose one day in May, when a 5-year-old student in the process of being diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome was referred twice to the principal for discipline problems.
Portillo then allegedly asked the class to vote whether the boy should stay in the class. He lost the vote 14-to-2.
The teacher's attorney said she will contest the suspension. The boy's mother said she should be fired.
Next Article in
Events Calendar More Events Submit Event
Events Search
enter event type
- Recruiting notebook: Jenkins a hit in Orlando
- Brandon James looks to bust out vs. Oklahoma
- Newton heading to JuCo
- Gators soak up South Florida atmosphere
- Notebook: No war of words from Tebow
- Sooners have more distractions in South Beach
- Who has the edge?
- UF lands 5-star athlete
- Okla. player takes few jabs at Tebow
- UF, OU clubs to party at same eatery on game day
- Early Weight Problems Often Undiagnosed 0 min ago
- Blaze Kills 5 in a Homeless Shelter in Texas 0 min ago
- Early Hurdle in Senate Confronts Illinois Pick 0 min ago
- Air Security Could Involve Private Jets 0 min ago
- Automakers Fear a New Normal of Low Sales 0 min ago
- Should Patients Be Told of Better Care Elsewhere? 0 min ago
- In Fatah-Governed West Bank, Solidarity With Hamas 0 min ago
- Apple’s Jobs Explains His Weight Loss 0 min ago
- Coming Down on Tobacco 0 min ago
- Doctors Will Make Web Calls in Hawaii 0 min ago
Comments
Only moderator-approved comments are shown on this page. To see all comments, please visit the forum.Post a comment | View all comments on this topic.
November 19, 2008 10:08:57 am
RE: Link
Well the school board held avote and she was kicked out of class for having no class a child being subjected to such ridicule could affect him for the rest of his schooling years so she should be removed from class
November 19, 2008 12:09:57 pm
The kids in that class should not have been subjected to an unruly, disruptive classmate. This kid had been a problem for a while.
The teacher was wrong, but it is time to admit some parents think their kids don't need to be checked.This is becomming more and more of a problem as more kids are being diagnoised with autism. The schools systems need to find a way to balance the rights of everyone.Teachers are at the end of their ropes with out of control children. This lady was highly spoken of and had no other problems before this incident. If something isn't done soon, we are going lose good educators to other sectors.
November 19, 2008 3:18:27 pm
The child is autistic you seem to think that isnt a factor in his behavior and if you havent ever seen an autistic child go to your local library and read up on this illness
November 19, 2008 9:05:01 pm
This child is autistic, she had no right to single him out. She shouldn't have been voted out instead she should have been FIRED on the spot. She's an adult this is a child. If she can't handle a mentally ill child she has no business in the school system. If he's a problem to her, she can't handle teenagers. I hope the family of the child sues her and WINS!
November 19, 2008 11:57:15 pm
Unless I say something don't try to claim that you know what I think.
This child was not diagnosed with autism (or anything else) when this incident took place.
A constantly disrptive and unruly child has no right to upset the learning process for other kids.
November 20, 2008 12:17:39 am
She should not have singled him out period. Autistic or not.
I doubt you would say she should be able to "handle" the kid if he was diagnosed with something like: Schizophrenia or a phobia that caused violence toward others.
I guess she should be expected to operate on a student if his appendix bursts in class...
Teachers are not superhuman. They are not equipped or trained to deal with every type of student. Unless she is a psycologist, a psychiatrist or a teacher with a specialization in special needs kids, it is not her place or job to "handle" a disruptive, out of control mentally ill child. This was not a "special needs" class.
Even with a specialization, a kid who constantly disrupts the learning process for others needs to be dealt with by the principal or school officials.
Her job is to teach those who want to learn and try to maintain order in her class (within reason).Most articles I read when this first happened said the child had been disruptive for a long time. The principal should have done something, so that he could not continue to disrupt the class.
I said she was wrong for the approach she took. Kids are sensitive.She could have done what many other teachers do today: Call the cops on him and let them deal with him. The parents probably would have been much happier with that solution.
November 20, 2008 10:32:06 am
Okay for the person going on about the disruptive behavior, and getting him out of school. If you read the article as I first did, the mother, (a single mother I believe) was in the process having him tested for autism. It is a very lengthy process, it doesn't happen over night. And until you have gone through the proper chanels then you can't just stick you kid somewhere because of a behavior problem. You are right, there is place to send children with this mental illness, but until a diagnosis has been given you can't just place them there. The mother would have gone to jail herself if she just kept him out of school, what a great result that would have been. One more child in the states lacking foster care system. The teacher for whatever "greatness" she may pocess had a very impacting moment of stupidity, made a bad decision and it is the chold who will pay for it in the end, emotionally. As if this little boy needs anything else. Before you making snap judgements about people, pick up a book, a medical journal and see the ins and outs of autism. With that said, I hope the mother now having a diagnosis, can have him placed in the best enviroment for him, so that he can learn, grow,thrive, and live with his disability, that will affect him the rest of his life.
Post a comment | View all comments