Autistic Kindergartener Voted Out Of Class
Autistic Kindergartener Voted Out Of Class
Written by OddCulture on May 28th, 2008 in Odd Florida.
Tags: Odd News
Source: Sun Times
Location: Morningside Elementary School, Port St. Lucie, Florida (where else?)
Kindergarten teacher Wendy Portillo has been reassigned after she allowed her students to oust a fellow 5-year-old from the classroom because of his disciplinary problems. Last week, Portillo held a vote in her classroom in which the students “voted out” 5-year-old Alex Barton, who is in the process of being tested for Asperger’s Disorder, a type of high-functioning autism.
After each classmate was allowed to say what they didn’t like about Alex the teacher said they were going to take a vote, Barton said. They said he was “disgusting” and “annoying,” Barton said. By a 14 to 2 margin, the students voted him out of the class.
Barton, who said she is considering legal action, said Alex began the testing process in February for an official diagnosis under the suggestion of Morningside Principal Marsha Cully. Alex has had disciplinary issues because of his disabilities, Barton said. The school and district has met with Barton and her son to create an individual education plan, she said. A veteran of 12 years of teaching, including nine at Morningside, Portillo has attended these meetings, she said.
Barton said after the vote, Alex’s teacher asked him how he felt. “He said, ‘I feel sad,’” she said. Alex left the classroom and spent the rest of the day in the nurse’s office, she said. Alex hasn’t been back to school since then, and Barton said he won’t be returning. He starts screaming when she brings him with her to drop off his sibling at school.
Poor Alex just got a lesson in American democracy. Somebody on the Sun Times web site named “jedijahendo” wrote this eye-opener:
On the side of the child, this is a horrible lesson in the lack of trust and compassion in the world, especially in our public school systems. “Cast out” by a majority vote because you’re different, and being too young to understand what happened or why will leave him cold, and unwilling to trust people around him for a very long time.
On the side of the teacher, this is a lesson in democracy and government to the children. He was being disruptive to their studies at a very critical age, where they learn the importance of school, and how to behave in such a setting. This is a learning experience for all involved.
Indeed! For this commenter just hit upon the true function of government schooling – to prep good little conforming citizens. Majority vote, mob rule. Might as well start the lesson early!
By the way, Wendy Portillo’s email is portillow@stlucie.k12.fl.us.
It gives me a whole new understanding as to why so many people homeschool their children.
Best wishes
From the Pages of OLD forgotton autism:
Before Autism Went Designer and the Empire supporting it became a culture :autism did rather well on its own. I was a child of the 1960s and Autisitc and thankfully this was long before Rain Man’s Curse (crypto sensitive Autism) and most of us came out of autism’s grasp and do a pretty normal life today. Of Course Modern Autism has bansihed us from their presance. I with stood many Votes like Wendy presented and they indeed built character . Thank you to all my Teachers and Principals that made an example out of my poor behavior.
Autism IS BOTHMR/DD and Einstein and those of us lucky to connect the dots are too little too late these days and despite discovering the Di Vinci Code moden autism will not admit to us we are bad for their business and their peer reviewed reputations. If Autism Research were honest and sincere it would welcome our insight and anthropology not hide us. Rich Shull
As a mother of two children it sickens me to see that we have to send our children to people like this to learn the ways of the world.
She should have voiced her thoughts at the meetings about how he was behaving in class, not bring him down by showing all the children in the class that this poor kid should be casted out. I can’t believe it. That hurt me so bad that I really hate for the mother NOT to do anything about this. She needs to speak up for every mother who has that “DIFFERENT” child.
If she doesn’t it just proves that America has become a total waste where our children are concerned.