Post by: wmenorr67 on May 28, 2008, 05:55:15 AM
Quote
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 Wendy Portillo said they were going to take a vote, Barton said.
By a 14 to 2 margin, the students voted Alex -- who is in the process of being diagnosed with autism -- out of the class.
Melissa Barton filed a complaint with Morningside's school resource officer, who investigated the matter, Port St. Lucie Department 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 no longer are investigating, but police officials are documenting the complaint, she said.
Steele said the teacher confirmed the incident took place.
Portillo could not be reached for comment Friday.
Steele said the boy had been sent to the principal's office because of disciplinary issues. When he returned, Portillo made him go to the front of the room as a form of punishment, she said.
Barton said her son is in the process of being diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a type of high-functioning autism. Alex began the testing process in February at the suggestion of Morningside Principal Marcia Cully.
Children diagnosed with Asperger's often exhibit social isolation and eccentric behavior..
Alex has had disciplinary issues because of his disability, Barton said. After the family moved into the area and Alex and his sibling arrived at the school in January, Alex spent much of the time in the principal's office, she said.
He also had problems at his last school, but he did not have issues during his two years of preschool, Barton said.
School and district officials have met with Barton and her son to create an individual education plan to address his difficulties, she said. Portillo attended these meetings, Barton said.
Barton said after the vote, Portillo asked Alex how he felt.
"He said, 'I feel sad,' " Barton 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 Wednesday, he was leaving the nurse's office.
"He was shaken up," she said.
Barton said the nurse told her to talk with Portillo, 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" over and over.
Barton said Alex is reliving the incident.
The other students 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."
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.
After each classmate was allowed to say what they didn't like about Barton's 5-year-old son, Alex, his Morningside Elementary teacher Wendy Portillo said they were going to take a vote, Barton said.
By a 14 to 2 margin, the students voted Alex -- who is in the process of being diagnosed with autism -- out of the class.
Melissa Barton filed a complaint with Morningside's school resource officer, who investigated the matter, Port St. Lucie Department 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 no longer are investigating, but police officials are documenting the complaint, she said.
Steele said the teacher confirmed the incident took place.
Portillo could not be reached for comment Friday.
Steele said the boy had been sent to the principal's office because of disciplinary issues. When he returned, Portillo made him go to the front of the room as a form of punishment, she said.
Barton said her son is in the process of being diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a type of high-functioning autism. Alex began the testing process in February at the suggestion of Morningside Principal Marcia Cully.
Children diagnosed with Asperger's often exhibit social isolation and eccentric behavior..
Alex has had disciplinary issues because of his disability, Barton said. After the family moved into the area and Alex and his sibling arrived at the school in January, Alex spent much of the time in the principal's office, she said.
He also had problems at his last school, but he did not have issues during his two years of preschool, Barton said.
School and district officials have met with Barton and her son to create an individual education plan to address his difficulties, she said. Portillo attended these meetings, Barton said.
Barton said after the vote, Portillo asked Alex how he felt.
"He said, 'I feel sad,' " Barton 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 Wednesday, he was leaving the nurse's office.
"He was shaken up," she said.
Barton said the nurse told her to talk with Portillo, 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" over and over.
Barton said Alex is reliving the incident.
The other students 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."
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.
WTF over!
Post by: BlueStarLizzard on May 28, 2008, 05:59:34 AM
bad teacher. a kid with ausburgers has enough problems getting along, she didn't need to make it worse.
Post by: Manedwolf on May 28, 2008, 06:07:12 AM
Quote
Barton said her son is in the process of being diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a type of high-functioning autism. Alex began the testing process in February at the suggestion of Morningside Principal Marcia Cully.
Being diagnosed with, or going to doctors until one agrees with her inistence that that is what it is?
Asperger's is an amazingly widespread self-diagnosis for a number of self-caused and parent-caused behavior problems, especially disciplinary issues. Everything from laissez-faire parents to socially awkward people have been diagnosing themselves and their kids with it. Not saying it doesn't exist, but it's become the new ADHD...a universal excuse.
Post by: BlueStarLizzard on May 28, 2008, 06:14:52 AM
Quote
Barton said her son is in the process of being diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a type of high-functioning autism. Alex began the testing process in February at the suggestion of Morningside Principal Marcia Cully.
Being diagnosed with, or going to doctors until one agrees with her inistence that that is what it is?
Asperger's is an amazingly widespread self-diagnosis for a number of self-caused and parent-caused behavior problems, especially disciplinary issues. Everything from laissez-faire parents to socially awkward people have been diagnosing themselves and their kids with it. Not saying it doesn't exist, but it's become the new ADHD...a universal excuse.
even if the kid doesn't have it, are you really going to make the poor little guy (remember, he's only 5 years old) stand up in front of his class and demand the other kids insult him?
disaplinary measures at that age are between the parents, admin and teacher, not the entire classroom.
Post by: wmenorr67 on May 28, 2008, 06:17:44 AM
I have been known to make a teacher cry.
Post by: Manedwolf on May 28, 2008, 06:18:33 AM
That was totally wrong, and the teacher ought to be fired.
Post by: MechAg94 on May 28, 2008, 06:30:27 AM
She needs to be transfered to high school if she isn't fired.
Post by: K Frame on May 28, 2008, 06:37:36 AM
And your proof of that statement is?
Post by: BrokenPaw on May 28, 2008, 07:14:51 AM
Manedwolf is right that there are parents out there who will seize upon the disorder-of-the-month in order to explain away their Precious Little Snowflake's behavior problems, because anything's more palatable than having to swallow the "Oh, and you're a crappy parent" pill.
On the other hand, Asperger's is a real thing, and parents of true Asperger's kids have to deal with a lot. Asperger's is, first of all, a syndrome, that is, a collection of symptoms that tend, as a group, to point toward a specific disorder. For solid diagnosis of AS, a kid has to have a certain number of the common indicator symptoms, and no, they can't all be put down to bad parenting (gross motor skills and coordination are often well below norm, for instance). There is evidence of a correlation between AS and a partial breakdown of the myelin sheathing on the neurons in the brain. Myelin insulates the neurons from one another. Breakdown of myelin means more crosstalk among neurons. More crosstalk means, among other things, a weakened ability to differentiate and categorize stimuli.
Example: A normal person getting ready to cross the road can hear a car coming, and a jet plane up in the sky, and prioritize the car as more important to the immediate situation. AS people sometimes cannot do this, because of the crosstalking, and so they may pay attention to the airplane sound, ignore the car sound, and step out into the road.
Because of the inability to instinctively filter out stimuli, social interaction is a nightmare for AS people; body language, for instance, is a mystery to them, because all stimuli are coequal in their perception, whereas most of us can filter out a person's movements that are non-communicative, any movement that another person makes is registered and paid attention to, and it's not actually possible for the human mind to sort out all of the stimuli we receive.
Lack of social skills leads to awkwardness, and the downward spiral begins.
This teacher's career should be taken out back behind the woodshed, shot, cut up into little bitty pieces, and buried alive. And I stand by that even if the kid isn't Asperger's. Because kids are mean enough to one another without a teacher encouraging it.
-BP
Post by: mtnbkr on May 28, 2008, 07:28:07 AM
Chris
Post by: cassandra and sara's daddy on May 28, 2008, 08:33:00 AM
Post by: MicroBalrog on May 28, 2008, 08:36:33 AM
I don't condone it, but I understand it.
But you know what I think?
There's a 14-2 vote. So a kid there voted No, knowing full well his classmates would hate him for it. Kudos to that kid.
Post by: Sergeant Bob on May 28, 2008, 08:54:01 AM
But you know what I think?
There's a 14-2 vote. So a kid there voted No, knowing full well his classmates would hate him for it. Kudos to that kid.
There's a 14-2 vote. So a kid there voted No, knowing full well his classmates would hate him for it. Kudos to that kid.
Excellent point Micro.
Most of the wolves voted to eat the sheep.
Post by: MicroBalrog on May 28, 2008, 08:59:53 AM
The one No vote - that's awesome. His Mommy must be proud if she has half a brain.
Post by: roo_ster on May 28, 2008, 09:14:14 AM
Post by: MicroBalrog on May 28, 2008, 09:15:49 AM
Post by: 41magsnub on May 28, 2008, 09:23:48 AM
Post by: ilbob on May 28, 2008, 09:51:40 AM
The article states the kid spent as much time in the principal's office as in class. Makes me think he was a behavioral problem.
Maybe the other kids had the right idea. Most people, kids included, really don't want to be around people who are disruptive.
Post by: mtnbkr on May 28, 2008, 09:57:06 AM
My guess is that there is a little more to it than what the parent is claiming.
The article states the kid spent as much time in the principal's office as in class. Makes me think he was a behavioral problem.
Maybe the other kids had the right idea. Most people, kids included, really don't want to be around people who are disruptive.
The article states the kid spent as much time in the principal's office as in class. Makes me think he was a behavioral problem.
Maybe the other kids had the right idea. Most people, kids included, really don't want to be around people who are disruptive.
Maybe, but there are better ways of dealing with this. What the kids want is irrelevant. The teacher failed.
Chris
Post by: Manedwolf on May 28, 2008, 10:00:50 AM
My guess is that there is a little more to it than what the parent is claiming.
The article states the kid spent as much time in the principal's office as in class. Makes me think he was a behavioral problem.
Maybe the other kids had the right idea. Most people, kids included, really don't want to be around people who are disruptive.
The article states the kid spent as much time in the principal's office as in class. Makes me think he was a behavioral problem.
Maybe the other kids had the right idea. Most people, kids included, really don't want to be around people who are disruptive.
It is still NOT how you handle this sort of problem. It's done behind the scenes, meetings, and the disruptive kid is transferred to special needs. Period. The other kids aren't told anything.
This was beyond unprofessional. I've seen teachers fired for less.
Post by: ilbob on May 28, 2008, 10:09:04 AM
My guess is that there is a little more to it than what the parent is claiming.
The article states the kid spent as much time in the principal's office as in class. Makes me think he was a behavioral problem.
Maybe the other kids had the right idea. Most people, kids included, really don't want to be around people who are disruptive.
The article states the kid spent as much time in the principal's office as in class. Makes me think he was a behavioral problem.
Maybe the other kids had the right idea. Most people, kids included, really don't want to be around people who are disruptive.
It is still NOT how you handle this sort of problem. It's done behind the scenes, meetings, and the disruptive kid is transferred to special needs. Period. The other kids aren't told anything.
This was beyond unprofessional. I've seen teachers fired for less.
Post by: BrokenPaw on May 28, 2008, 10:13:25 AM
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It is still NOT how you handle this sort of problem. It's done behind the scenes, meetings, and the disruptive kid is transferred to special needs. Period. The other kids aren't told anything.
QFT.
There's not a single possible positive outcome from handling the situation this way. No matter what a 5-year-old's behavior has been, pillorying him and making him (potentially more of) a social outcast will not help anything.
Kids should never be a part of disciplining another kid.
Quote
We don't know what really happened. Only that there was an incident, and what the parents that are looking for a big payout from the court system claim happened.
From the article in the OP:
Quote
[Police Department spokeswoman Michelle] Steele said the teacher confirmed the incident took place.
If the teacher hadn't done more or less what the parent described, would she have confirmed that incident to the police?
-BP
Post by: Fly320s on May 28, 2008, 11:12:11 AM
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Mom says teacher let classmates vote autistic son out of class
So what's the problem? After all, that is Democracy in action. Isn't that what "The People" want these days? /sarcasm.
Post by: Balog on May 28, 2008, 11:43:41 AM
Quote from: BP
This teacher's career should be taken out back behind the woodshed, shot, cut up into little bitty pieces, and buried alive. And I stand by that even if the kid isn't Asperger's. Because kids are mean enough to one another without a teacher encouraging it.
Amen. This teacher needs to go away and never come back anywhere near kids. Although she sounds like she'd do well in the law enforcement field.
Post by: RevDisk on May 28, 2008, 05:51:40 PM
Having met a couple AS kids, that's heart breaking. What the heck was she thinking?
Post by: BrokenPaw on May 28, 2008, 07:38:13 PM
Having met a couple AS kids, that's heart breaking.
At the risk of drifting the thread, when did you get a heart?
-BP
Post by: The Annoyed Man on May 28, 2008, 07:41:16 PM
Having met a couple AS kids, that's heart breaking. What the heck was she thinking?
Post by: wmenorr67 on May 28, 2008, 07:41:39 PM
Do we vote the teacher off our island?
I vote yes.
Post by: The Annoyed Man on May 28, 2008, 07:43:34 PM
I say we start a vote.
Do we vote the teacher off our island?
I vote yes.
Only if it involves tossing her to the sharks.
Do we vote the teacher off our island?
I vote yes.
Post by: cassandra and sara's daddy on May 28, 2008, 07:50:45 PM
Post by: BrokenPaw on May 29, 2008, 04:48:00 AM
vote her off? bah shes a food source think fried green tomatoes
You may wish to reconsider. Recall that Mad Cow Disease is spread when an infected cow is ground up and mixed in with the feed that healthy cows eat.
This is someone we don't want in the soylent green. Her stupid may be catching.
-BP
Post by: MechAg94 on May 29, 2008, 05:05:51 AM
Post by: The Annoyed Man on May 29, 2008, 06:34:29 AM
vote her off? bah shes a food source think fried green tomatoes
You may wish to reconsider. Recall that Mad Cow Disease is spread when an infected cow is ground up and mixed in with the feed that healthy cows eat.
This is someone we don't want in the soylent green. Her stupid may be catching.
-BP
Post by: BrokenPaw on May 29, 2008, 07:41:58 AM
Isn't that only if you eat the brain/spinal cord and such? I've never heard of MEAT being the issue...
Probably so. The meat's probably harmless if there's no prion contamination. Still. Fugu is also harmless, if it's prepared right, but in that case, one of the shortest words in the language suddenly carries enough importance to warrant a whole room full of subwoofers kicking in when it's uttered.
Some foods aren't worth the risk, to my mind at least. I draw the line at: 1) fish that could kill me if the chef's having anything other than an extraordinarily good day, 2) soylent green made of stupid people, and 3) tofu, for no other reason than that food should not make your teeth squeak.
-BP
Post by: Manedwolf on May 29, 2008, 08:06:03 AM
2) soylent green made of stupid people, and 3) tofu, for no other reason than that food should not make your teeth squeak.
-BP
-BP
Don't eat cheese curds, either. You think tofu squeaks...
Post by: BrokenPaw on May 29, 2008, 10:21:07 AM
Don't eat cheese curds, either. You think tofu squeaks...
Hmm. True.
cheese curd == squeak.
tofu == bean curd == squeak.
New rule, new rule! All sorts of "curds" are automagically rejected.
Post by: RevDisk on May 29, 2008, 04:33:45 PM
Having met a couple AS kids, that's heart breaking.
At the risk of drifting the thread, when did you get a heart?
-BP
About three years back. A user really got on my nerves. They wouldn't let me nail it to my office door because of some nonsense about health code.
Post by: LAK on May 30, 2008, 03:49:18 AM
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Post by: MechAg94 on May 30, 2008, 05:02:14 AM
http://thelawdogfiles.blogspot.com/
Post by: Sindawe on May 30, 2008, 05:46:48 AM
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They wouldn't let me nail it to my office door because of some nonsense about health code.
Silly RevDisk. Hearts are supposed to be kept at home.
In a box, packed in salt.
I dunno where you're getting your tofu BrokenPaw. Mine only squeaks when I pan fry it with some diced peppers and onions.
Speaking of frying, the idiot teacher who done this should be staked in the sun fry in the fat from her own head.
Post by: Bogie on May 30, 2008, 06:13:30 PM
I'm sorta busy for the next three weeks, but I could maybe fit some time in after that.
Post by: Regolith on May 30, 2008, 06:57:30 PM
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They wouldn't let me nail it to my office door because of some nonsense about health code.
Silly RevDisk. Hearts are supposed to be kept at home.
In a box, packed in salt.
Quote from: Steven King
Some people say I must be a horrible person, but that's not true. I have the heart of a young boy...In a jar, on my desk.