A teacher who asked her students to vote a boy out of his kindergarten class was, but for that single lapse in judgment, one of “St. Lucie County’s premier educational giants,” a lawyer said today at her appeal.

Wendy Portillo, a 12-year teaching veteran, meant no harm and regrets her actions, said her lawyer, David Walker of Stuart.

Portillo is appealing the recommendation of Schools Superintendent Michael Lannon that she be suspended without pay for a year, returned to an annual contract and prohibited from teaching elementary-age students in St. Lucie County.

Melissa Barton, shown with her son Alex, filed a complaint seeking compensation from the St. Lucie school district.

Portillo, who didn’t testify today, dabbed at her eyes with tissues while her lawyer talked about Lannon’s recommendation.

“For Wendy Portillo, what’s done and said (here) will determine whether she can do what she loves and was born to do,” Walker said.

If she wins with the state Division of Administrative Hearings, Portillo will earn back pay from the school district. The hearing at Fort Pierce City Hall is expected to last several days. (more…)