St. Lucie County teacher who had autistic boy voted out of classroom set to return to school
November 5th, 2009 by Daphne DuretIf St. Lucie County school board members next week approve Wendy Portillo’s return to the classroom, she’ll likely be teaching students twice as old as the kindergartners she led last year to vote a 5-year-old out of their classroom.
School board officials had suspended Portillo and stripped her of her tenure for the May 2008 incident, in which she asked Alex Barton’s classmates at Morningside Elementary to vote on whether he should stay in class after he’d been disruptive.
Alex was subsequently diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism. His mother, Melissa Barton, sued the school board and Portillo in August, saying the “Survivor-style” vote-out caused Alex irreparable psychological harm.
By then, school officials had restored Portillo’s tenure and said she could return to teaching as soon as mid-November.
Portillo’s reinstatement is on the agenda for Tuesday’s school board meeting, joined with several other personnel matters.
Schools spokeswoman Janice Karst said board members could approve Portillo’s return along with the other items collectively. Or they could take up the matter separately and discuss their decision before they making a final vote.
If they approve her return, Portillo will likely be teaching science and reading to sixth-graders at Allapattah K-8. Karst said Portillo could start as early as Nov. 19.
Superintendent Michael Lannon said in June that he had considered recommending that the board fire Portillo but decided against it. Instead, he recommended that the 12-year veteran be returned to an annual contract and prohibited from teaching young children again in St. Lucie.
Melissa Barton says her son is still in therapy over the incident but is now an honor roll student at Jupiter Academy, a private school he began attending this year.
Tags: alex barton, Wendy Portillo
Subscribe to TCoastTalk's RSS Feed
Browse the photo galleries here
November 5th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
Parents deserve this trash teaching their kids. They are losers anyway.
November 5th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
This story just goes on and on and on. Wrong move by the teacher, but a parent that seems to thrive on publicity.
November 5th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
If this ‘teacher’ is approved to return to the profession of teaching, St. Lucie County deserves what they get.
She is an affront to every person who works hard to teach children and help them to learn and become better citizens.
How could they approve her after such an incident is beyond thinking and imagination. The methods she used on this autistic child were absolutely and completely wrong and harmful to this child’s development, if approved I as a parent would pull my child out of this school district in protest of their decision.
November 5th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
If parents with children in Saint Lucie County Schools havent thought twice about their district over the recent Saint Lucie County headlines - Girl made to clean pee & Portillo returning to class - I dont know what will.
Are children really safe at school?
Move.
November 5th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Everybody makes mistakes and should be allowed to serve their due and continue on. However, South Florida schools seem to have their own system of non-punishment. The criminals go further than the honest teachers. Check out someoneshouldask.com to see how they do it in Palm Beach County. Maybe Portillo will become the superintendent for St Lucie.
November 5th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
What is with St.Lucie County? Teachers that humilitate their
students-how far will they go to correct these people?Firstly, Alex Barton’s former teacher should not be allowed
back in a classroom. The teacher who allowed a child to
clean up another child’s pee should immediately be fired.
This is a black mark on teachers that know proper procedures
and would never do what these teachers have done. As far
as Alex Barton’s mother-she is a publicity hound and pushes
her face into the camera way too much. If she really cares-
she can do more behind the scenes-her child was no angel.
Both teachers should not be allowed to work with children.
November 6th, 2009 at 10:22 am
If I were parents of either child the pee kid or the Survivior contestant kid, I would be just as angry. You think that this mother is in your face, I would picket everyday infront of the school until something was done about her return to work. You would see me holding a big azz sign with my childs face on it to remind everyone what the teacher did to my kid.
ELC, what would you do if one of the kids were yours? Nothing?
November 7th, 2009 at 11:49 am
The children and parents in the public school system in Pt. St. Lucie should all be glad that the disruptive kids are removed and taken to some sort of “private” school, where they can be catered to at someone else’s expense (or are we, the stupid taxpayer also picking up the tab for this, also). If my child was being bullied by someone, even if they were subsequently diagnosed with some autism ailment, I’d file a restraining order against the bully. There is no reason that everyone has to be subjected to bad behavior. I am so tired of hearing about this pitiful excuse of a publicity seeking, it’s all about me and my brood, parent. Who is watching out for the rest of the children? Or does no one care that everyone else is dumb as a brick as long as little bully, disruptive Johnny/Jane feels good about him/herself?
The teacher shouldn’t have the kids vote out the disruptive kid. The kid should just be removed from the classroom, permanently, by the administration….if they had any ….. Teachers are there to teach, not to have to be parents, pshchologists, doctors, disiplinarians, and on and on.