Wendy Portillo, the Kindergarten teacher infamous for permitting neurotypical students to vote a boy with a form of Autism out of her class, will keep both her contract with the St. Lucie County school district and her tenured status after a unanimous vote by the School Board. Portillo is "overjoyed" by the ruling and hopes to return to teaching.
[Update: Alex's family wasn't notified of the hearing to reinstate Portillo.]
In May of 2008, Ms. Portillo led her students in a reality TV-like exercise in which Alex Barton, then 5 years old, was made to stand in front of the class while classmates listed reasons they didn't like him. Classmates called Alex "disgusting" and "annoying," among other things. Then, the class took a vote and by a margin of 14 to 2 chose to exclude Alex from class. He was made to leave the Kindergarten classroom and spent the rest of the day in the school nurse's office.
Alex Barton reportedly has not returned to school since the incident. Shortly after Alex was voted out of class, his mother said he was so traumatized that he was unable to even ride past his former elementary school in a car without screaming and begging not to be forced to return to school.
Thirteen individuals testified before the School Board in favor of permitting Wendy Portillo to return to teaching. These supporters included Portillo's sons, former colleagues at Morningside Elementary School, and parents whose children had been students of Portillo during her 12 year teaching career. No one appeared at the hearing to give the Barton family's side of the story.
Portillo must still serve out the remainder of a one-year unpaid suspension ordered as a result of the case.
What do you think? Was the School Board right to allow Portillo to return to teaching?
Filed under: Florida, teachers, special education, alex barton, asperger's syndrome, autism, wendy portillo, children with disabilities, disability abuse, schools, education
