5-year old aspie voted out of kindergarten by students

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St. Lucie teacher has students vote on whether 5-year-old can stay in class

PORT ST. LUCIE — Melissa Barton said she is considering legal action 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 said they were going to take a vote, Barton said.

By a 14 to 2 margin, the class voted him out of the class.

Barton said her son is in the process of being diagnosed with Asperger's, a type of high-functioning autism. 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. His teacher, Wendy 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.

Barton said when she came to pick up her son at the school on Wednesday, he was leaving the nurse's office.

"He was shaken up," she said. Barton said the nurse told her to talk with the child's teacher, who told her what happened.

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.

Thursday night, his mother heard him saying "I'm not special."

Barton said Alex is reliving the incident.

They said he was "disgusting" and "annoying," Barton said.

"He was incredibly upset," Barton said. "The only friend he has ever made in his life was forced to do this."

The child's mother filed a complaint with the school resource officer, who investigated the matter, said Port St. Lucie spokeswoman Michelle Steele said. But 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. Port St. Lucie Police is no longer investigating, but is documenting the complaint, she said.

Steele said the teacher confirmed the incident did occur.

St. Lucie School's spokeswoman Janice Karst said the district is investigating the incident, but could not make any further comment.

Vern Melvin, Department of Children and Families circuit administrator, confirmed the agency is investigating an allegation of abuse at Morningside, but said he could not elaborate.

Source: http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/may/23/ ... -year-old/

The teacher must've watched a few too many reality shows, doing this in real life is cruel and against the law. There shouldn't be a question about whether he gets to come to school or not in the first place, he deserves it as much as everyone else despite his asperger's. Having young kids vote about it is even stupider. They can't grasp the situation well enough to decide something as important as this. I hope it'll be sorted out as it should be and the boy won't be emotionally scarred from this.

stupid teacher

Words fail me.

What manner of bizarre, twisted thinking made the teacher think this was a good idea?

That little boy who was voted out of his kindergarten class might carry that around with him for the rest of his life, that emotional scarring.

Who knows what it might do to him as an adult.

... the words, they fail me.

I thought teachers were supposed to teach, not bully?

This is really bad. She should be fired!

I'm disappointed, but not surprised. For the boy's part, it's a good lesson. He will learn not to trust (a good thing) and how to sue (also a good thing). As part of the settlement, I would demand that boy enter the classroom for an apology. At that time, as a surprise, I would say right in front of the class "Son, now you know what bad people look like. Don't have anything to do with them."


BTW: That reporter must have gone to public school - look at her spelling!

I had a teacher do the exact same thing to me in grade 4 I was 10 except they didn't vote to keep me out of class just asked each person in the class to write who was annoying, upseeting and why he then read it out in front of the class. Of course me being the odd (then undiagnosed) aspie child recieved 90% of the negative critisism and to be humiliated in front of the class like that is awful possibly even worse than the comments themselves. It was damaging to me along with the bullying i copped. I see many stories on this sort of thing in the paper from both the US and Aus the parents go to the education department if the school is no help. The same teacher also grabbed me by the shirt and shooj me as well as repeated threats for "misbehaviour" that i would be sat in the middle of the boys table. Stories like this cause me a LOT OF ANGHST.

It's never too early to teach children prejudice against those with disabilities[/end sarcasm]
Seriously, I hope she gets fired, at the very least!

My heart aches for this child. This was the one person who was supposed to guide and protect him and instead she betrayed him. I think this teacher should be held accountable for her actions and fired! What she did was inexcusable and the hurt she caused will be with this boy forever. I am the mother of 2 Aspies-my youngest was diagnosed at age 6, my oldest (an adult) refuses to be tested. My oldest (who has an extremely high IQ) had a horrble time in school-he dropped out right before graduation, but rec'd his GED afterward. My youngest I pulled out of school in 4th grade to homeschool. Yes I know he will miss out on the social interaction, but since I had to take him to the doctors many times (once for x-rays!) for what the 'normal' children had done to him (I was told "that's how kids are") I didn't think THAT kind of socialization would benefit him. I was even told to file a police report on one child who had a history of violence (the school, of course, did nothing to protect the other children).

I read this article earlier and felt sick reading it, to think in this day and age a teacher could do such a thing. people can be so narrow minded, its often society that alienates these children and then wonders why they become so frustrated and angry.