Kindergartners vote autistic boy off the island
Hundreds of parents of autistic children are outraged over the report that a kindergarten teacher in Florida allegedly allowed the other children in class to vote an autistic boy out of their classroom, Survivor-style.
Morningside Elementary School in Port St. Lucie, Fla., recently alerted Melissa Barton that her son, Alex, suffers from a high-functioning form of autism called Asperger’s Syndrome, WPEC News reported.
Barton claims that Alex was punished for symptoms of his disability, such as humming and eating his homework. She says Portillo went too far last week when she kicked Alex out of class, and then allowed the other students to vote on whether he should be allowed back in.
Each student was also allowed to say what he or she did not like about Alex. By a 14-to-2 margin, the students voted Alex out of class, according to The South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
“She said this was her way of correcting his behavior,” Barton told WPEC. “I asked him how that made him feel and he said, ‘I feel sad.’”
Information from: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,3589...
- Growing Pains: The Ides and Crooked Teeth of March
- The Parental is Political: Coffee or Tea, Which One is for Me?
- Mominatrix: The Mominatrix reviews the OhMiBod Freestyle
- Rugrat Reprieve: A Supposedly Slim Person I'll Never Be Again
- Growing Pains: Would You Be, Could You Be, My Neighbor?
1. Meg
May 28, 2008 @ 9:04 pm
This is the kind of thing I fear for my daughter, but I never imagined it would be further encouraged by a teacher. This should never happen to any kid, let alone one with a disability.
2. leah
May 31, 2008 @ 7:25 am
Is there only put downs,not wanting a autism in class because he disrupts the other students?
You school teachers should realy be kicked out of school permently,not aloud to teach anywhere.
They don’t want prayers in school because some religion with some students forbids them in believing in God and Jesus. Now you are turning your backs on a child with autism.Is this what the schools of America has come to? Where there used to be love,caring,understanding,helping,accepting,frindship, now there is only abuse,hatred,not approval. The system should put God back in schools.
3. Terri
June 22, 2008 @ 3:02 pm
As a Special Ed. teacher who has taught several autistic kids, I can understand that the behaviors associated with this can be unnerving, but what an opportunity to teach! The rest of the students could have been taught so much from this child if the “teacher” had done her job. With some behavior modification techniques the student could have been taught a routine that could have helped with some of the behaviors. The teacher could have sought help from the Special Ed. department for this. I am outraged that this so called teacher even has a job! I can only imagine the damage done to this child and to his classmates. To allow children to think that it is acceptable to mentally abuse this child for his disabilities is terrible.
4. Zack
August 6, 2008 @ 6:33 pm
To be honest, if the kid is eating his homework then he should be in a special class, I mean, don’t back the kid up just because he is retarded, a nuisance is a nuisance and if he distracts everyone, then he should be sent to a special ed class
5. anthony.rigoni
November 21, 2008 @ 8:31 pm
At least I don’t eat homework. I’m autistic too, you don’t seee getting kicked out of MY school. ^_^
6. whizkidforte
February 28, 2009 @ 8:06 pm
I wrote to the sunperintendent tonight, not only because I’m condemning this terrible act, but I’m also suggesting him that one of the high schools should do Honk! as a response to Portillo’s suspension. I even went as far as contacting the musical’s writers, George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, via Facebook to tell them how I reacted by suggesting the premiere of that musical in the 2009-2010 school year.