Kindergartner Voted Out By Students

Outraged Mom Of Special Needs Son Talks Exclusively With The Early Show

(CBS)  A Port St. Lucie, Fla., mother is outraged and considering legal action after her son's kindergarten teacher led his classmates to vote him out of class.

Melissa Barton says Morningside Elementary teacher Wendy Portillo had her son's classmates say what they didn't like about 5-year-old Alex. She says the teacher then had the students vote, and voted Alex, who is being evaluated for Asperger's syndrome -- an autism spectrum disorder -- out of the class by a 14-2 margin.

Barton and her son, Alex, talked exclusively with Harry Smith live from West Palm Beach, Fla.

Click on the video below to watch the interview.



Barton filed a complaint with Morningside's school resource officer.

St. Lucie School spokeswoman Janice Karst said the district is investigating the incident, but could not make any further comment. The state attorney's office concluded the matter did not meet the criteria for emotional child abuse, so no criminal charges will be filed.

Teacher Wendy Portillo was advised by the school board not to speak to the press so she declined our interview offer.

[BlameYT]

Fat sow, Just another exaple of the small briancase of apes.

[02smitty]

I can't believe the comments I have read. Last I checked we did't teach are kids this way. If he was a disruption to the other students handle with adults and do not involve other kids. She did not have to single him out to make a point. I am all for equal rights, so what about his rights!! If they don't fire her, the mom should sue. Teachers like this is probally why kids end up killing other kids & teachers. I think avery parent of a student in this class should be outraged at her actions.

[rouen1968]

This teacher is showing once again what is wrong with the American education system. We need teachers so bad that school districts are just hiring bodies.

What this witch has done is an absolute atrocity to this little boy and his family. And how the local school district is handling this is once again showing how little balls people have anymore for fear of getting sued by a teacher for wrongful termination because of who she is.

Fire this teacher and take responsibility for the actions of a bad teacher and make compensation to the family for the school districts bad hiring decisions.

Please Florida grow a set and get this dealt with.

[sylbroyles]

to JohnLee,

there are proper channels to remove a child from a class and this is not one of them. If the child was not learning in class, then the teacher should have spoken to the parent and special ed teacher and had a conference regarding placement for the child.

you do not hurt a child''s self esteem.

[buzymom13]

I agree that this child needed special education. By the sound of the story the mother is in the process of getting that support for the child. I have 6 children (all adopted) and 4 of them are special needs of one level or another, so I can tell you that it is not an easy process to get the support your child requires. It is also not easy helping your child make a life in this world especially when there are people like this teacher in the way. We''re met a few people like this who think that it is their job to put people in their places and make sure that special needs kids are put down. If the shoe was on the other foot, this teacher would be raising the roof you can bet. People have forgotten how to be mannerly. Rudeness abounds and eventually it will come full circle. Karma is a pain! Hopefully this teacher reaps a whole world full of it!

[johnlee241]

This kid was kicked out of the class room was in the wrong class room anyways. He should of been in a class room for special need kids.

The teacher did the right thing by kicking him out, because he probably wasn''t getting the proper education from a normal classroom. Get into reality people, a child with special need will not be treated the CORRECT way from a regular teacher, they need to be in a classroom where a teacher is trained to TEACH children with special needs.

Oh by the way for those who say we are civilized, Look at Iraq, we kill people for oil..so much for civilized country.

[johnlee241]

This kid was kicked out of the class room was in the wrong class room anyways. He should of been in a class room for special need kids.

The teacher did the right thing by kicking him out, because he probably wasn''t getting the proper education from a normal classroom. Get into reality people, a child with special need will not be treated the CORRECT way from a regular teacher, they need to be in a classroom where a teacher is trained to TEACH children with special needs.

Oh by the way for those who say we are civilized, Look at Iraq, we kill people for oil..so much for civilized country.

[laadvocate]

The actions by the teacher would be wrong regardless of the child''s disAbilities. You do not publically chastise, humiliate, and BULLY a 5 year old or anyone for that matter. We are a civilized country and are expected to behave that way.

[laadvocate]

SGTRock, I gather you are in the military?

[ladytaraxyz]

Remember, just because this child may have acting out issues, so do many children who are called normal by your terms. What do you want to do? Are you going to throw every child out? I''m sorry, I have never met a child that was perfect. Also with this being the child''s first year, it is no wonder that things didn''t settle right away. It takes time for these children to adjust.


The teacher is there to help a child learn. Teachers are not paid to teach hate. It is the teacher''s job to makes sure that a child is taught, is safe and to make sure they adjust. If a teacher can not handle these things, then they have no business being a teacher.

She needs to be fired and the school system needs to look very hard at the teachers the hire. I don''t blame the mother one bit. The emotinal scars this will leave on this child can never be undone. There is no reason on this entire earth that could justify that kind of treatment.

[ladytaraxyz]

I have a seven year old son who has aspergers. He has a higher IQ than most children his age. He is special needs, but only for language. I think some of the comments I have read here against special needs children in the classroom has a nazi ring to it. I wonder if people like this would be all for exterminating people who don''t walk and talk like they do.

With my son, you wouldn''t be even able to tell he was different from other children his age. Aspergers children can be just as normal as any one else, and then others have a more difficult time. I would never dream of a child who had problems being kicked out of my son''s class. I pay taxes which pay the teachers wages, so therefore my son has a right to go to any school that any other child can. I say if you don''t like it, you pay for your child to go to a private school.

This whole things just goes to show how evil and dark people''s heart have become. There is no morality left. My heart breaks for the mother of that child. What happened is the worst thing that could happen to a child with Aspergers. I wouldn''t wish this syndrome on any family, not to even those who have hate for those who are different.

[ladytaraxyz]

I have a seven year old son who has aspergers. He has a higher IQ than most children his age. He is special needs, but only for language. I think some of the comments I have read here against special needs children in the classroom has a nazi ring to it. I wonder if people like this would be all for exterminating people who don''t walk and talk like they do.

With my son, you wouldn''t be even able to tell he was different from other children his age. Aspergers children can be just as normal as any one else, and then others have a more difficult time. I would never dream of a child who had problems being kicked out of my son''s class. I pay taxes which pay the teachers wages, so therefore my son has a right to go to any school that any other child can. I say if you don''t like it, you pay for your child to go to a private school.

This whole things just goes to show how evil and dark people''s heart have become. There is no morality left. My heart breaks for the mother of that child. What happened is the worst thing that could happen to a child with Aspergers. I wouldn''t wish this syndrome on any family, not to even those who have hate for those who are different.

[marcia2621]

That teacher should be fired. God forbid she has a disabled child of her own. My heart goes out to the child as well as his family. I certainly hope the mother files a lawsuit, Whether its a teacher or anyone else they have no right at all to act in such behavior with a child. If the school board doesn''t take proper action then, they are to be liable as well.

[cyng1]

I''ve been going to school with my son for the last two months, why? Because the school my son attends has some major issues, this school is run more like a prison than a public school. I''ve seen children berated and abused, with children services and the school district refusing to take action.
I''ve seen teachers pick on one child and favor another. Now understand this, these children are not special needs.
My son who is deaf and therefore special needs, has never once been disciplined. Is he one of those students you want out of mainstream? Should he be voted out of his class, should I have to home school him? Then I have to ask about mainstreaming or contained classrooms. I would love to have my son in a contained classroom, however the district states they cannot budget for a contained classroom for so few of students. Also there are no private schools available in my area for a deaf child, I would love to get my son out of public schools, especially this one.
Before you blame disruptions in the class on just the special needs children, go visit your child''s class, you might find a completely different scenario as I did. My son''s interpreter is constantly being distracted by the mainstream students, therefore my son is missing out on part of his education.

[autismmom5]

Hey drievelphobe get off your high horse! Autistic children are not lepers. I am sure your kids have some sort of "defect". Let''s vote them out too for some insensitive reason. I say we vote out drivelphobe. Does anyone want to hear from this person anymore?

[autismmom5]

Hey drievelphobe get off your high horse! Autistic children are not lepers. I am sure your kids have some sort of "defect". Let''s vote them out too for some insensitive reason. I say we vote out drivelphobe. Does anyone want to hear from this person anymore?

[sgtrock64]

Before you make a judgment, read the incident report published on Slate''s website.

I''m not surprised to see so many "special needs" parents moaning and groaning about how wrong or awful it is that these students were invited to tell crayon-eating, desk kicking, booger picking Alex exactly what they thought of him, of how horrible it was that his teacher decided to maintain a safe and civil environment by applying a little peer pressure to Alex. You are all so focused on your child that you couldn''t care less what having a disruption like Alex means to the other 16 kids in that class. As a parent, I am tired of my child having to deal with this kind of nonsense simply to make you feel like your child is "normal." Let Alex''s mommy homeschool him, and he can eat crayons and boogers to his heart''s content - and maybe our kids will have the school environment they deserve.

[momadvocate]

Unfortunately this behavior is widespread in the public schools and in my opinion creates many of the behavioral issues that we see in secondary school. To the lady who asked why would a parent want to have their child in this classroom, the truth is that LEAs do not provide what they are supposed to by IDEA guidelines and that fighting them is costly, as is alternative schooling and therapies. As is the case in this country, the poor do without.

[trinitymomof]

I have a special needs child and I can not express to you how angry I am. Alex did not deserve to be singled out and hurt. Wendy Portillo acted out as a bully and taught each child how to gang up on one child. Wendy Portillo does not need to be a teacher. Nothing can erase what happened to Alex that day. Wendy Portillo, you should be so ashamed...good teachers care about each student in their class and if you were not qualified to teach children of all different needs you should''ve said you''re incapable, cause you are not capable.

[unschool]

Orderly classes? OH you mean BORING! Schools aren''t there to educate, they are there to dumb down and conform as many as possible. There is no respect; no rights. Public Schools are a breeding ground for hostility and most of it comes from teachers like this. Why send kids to public school when they can really learn about the world around them from home? Why do we have to pay for teachers like this? This is the 2nd incident I have heard of this week! The other is under criminal investigation and the teacher was removed from the school for a similar behavior. What was the difference? The parents thought their son was exaggerating so they sent a tape recorder in his cargo pants and picked up the berating the teacher gave.

I have seen good children become "bad" because a teacher has chosen that child as their "bad" child. I have seen children being abused by other classmates and teachers ignore it, unless that child should actually *gasp* stand up for themselves. A teacher is never objective, sort of like the media in today''s society...

What a mess!