World Worst Teacher

PORT ST. LUCIE — Melissa Barton said she is considering legal action after her son's kindergarten teacher led his classmates to vote him out of class.

After each classmate was allowed to say what they didn't like about Barton's 5-year-old son, Alex, his Morningside Elementary teacher said they were going to take a vote, Barton said.

By a 14 to 2 margin, the class voted him out of the class.

Barton said her son is in the process of being diagnosed with Aspberger's, a type of high-functioning autism. Alex began the testing process in February for an official diagnosis under the suggestion of Morningside Principal Marsha Cully.

Alex has had disciplinary issues because of his disabilities, Barton said. The school and district has met with Barton and her son to create an individual education plan, she said. His teacher, Wendy Portillo, has attended these meetings, she said.

Barton said after the vote, Alex's teacher asked him how he felt.

"He said, 'I feel sad,'" she said.

Alex left the classroom and spent the rest of the day in the nurse's office, she said.

Barton said when she came to pick up her son at the school on Wednesday, he was leaving the nurse's office.

"He was shaken up," she said. Barton said the nurse told her to talk with the child's teacher, who told her what happened.

Alex hasn't been back to school since then, and Barton said he won't be returning. He starts screaming when she brings him with her to drop off his sibling at school.

Thursday night, his mother heard him saying "I'm not special."

Barton said Alex is reliving the incident.

They said he was "disgusting" and "annoying," Barton said.

"He was incredibly upset," Barton said. "The only friend he has ever made in his life was forced to do this."

The child's mother filed a complaint with the school resource officer, who investigated the matter, said Port St. Lucie spokeswoman Michelle Steele said. But the state attorney's office concluded the matter did not meet the criteria for emotional child abuse, so no criminal charges will be filed, Steele said. Port St. Lucie Police is no longer investigating, but is documenting the complaint, she said.

Steele said the teacher confirmed the incident did occur.

St. Lucie School's spokeswoman Janice Karst said the district is investigating the incident, but could not make any further comment.

Vern Melvin, Department of Children and Families circuit administrator, confirmed the agency is investigating an allegation of abuse at Morningside, but said he could not elaborate.

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/may/23/st-lucie-teacher-has-class-vote-whether-5-year-old/

OMG, that's horrible. I am hoping they do something, that teacher violated IDEA on all accounts.
Having a child with a special need( 10yo has ADHD/Inn) I can totally see this happening, and it makes me want to rip that teacher a new one.

The pictures of the teacher, I just want to slap the twit. She's just smiling so big. She claims she's done nothing wrong.

What a piece of work......if someone did that my child...I'd be the one in jail for vigilante justice

I could tell you some daycare stories that are as bad...

people have no idea....

The Mom should have done her research and filed a federal complaint against the School District for allowing it to happen. A federal complaint is going to get alot more attention that a state complaint, and since IDEA was violated, it is a federal issue.

I just want to give that little boy a big hug and tell him that he IS special! That he is the one that will matter the most to the people in this world. How DARE that teacher do that? That form of autism makes him feel socially awkward as it is! She has just set him back many many years of therepy! She should lose her job AND have to apy for his therepy for the next 5-6 years! That makes me really wonder what the heck is gonna happen with my son when he goes to school this fall. He did okay for the small time he was in daycare, but it's been some time.

I didn't see any pictures of the teacher, but the picture of the little boy, he is so handsome! Why would the teacher do something like this? They are 5 year olds! My nephew and niece are 5 and I know that my brothers would never stand for anything like this to happen to them. Neither would anyone else in my family.

This is horrible, that teacher should be fired or at least disciplined. As a psychology student I know the effects of the disease and believe me those children already feel different from everyone else and this just extends thats. I feel really badly for the child because at that age children really do absorb everything.

I think we all should take a vote on if the teacher should go to jail. We can all be asked to descibe her and then vote on what to do with her.

I would describe her as a bitch. And I vote that it is child abuse, she should be fired

Oh goody




I would describe her as a total idiot
I vote that she be charged with child abuse not only for her actions towards Alex, but also towards the whole class. It's abusive to teach little ones to be intolerant.
I vote she be terminated and undergo intensive "sensitivity" training (after someone slaps the PISS out of her)

I would describe her as pretty funny looking, since she has my foot hanging out of her A$$.

I have a 6 year old in Kindergarten. His teacher absolutely loves him, partly because they both have bright orange hair and partly because he is "the most helpful kid".
if I found out she did something like this to him, I would have to be restrained physically from hurting her.

I do not think violence should be the first response to everything, but she warrants it.

missmissylette wrote:I just want to give that little boy a big hug and tell him that he IS special!

They are doing a card campaign for him:

Alex is Special
c/o Barbara Curtis
15648 Britenbush Ct.
Waterford, VA 20197

I agree 100% rikostan.
I'm normally a calm, semi rational woman, you mess with my kids...I become a raving lunatic.
I've found myself in the position of raising a 4 year old girl & a two year old (my granddaughters) after I thought my days of kindergarten were long over.
I have soooo much more patience and confidence this time around.
I cherish the little daily milestones that are reached.
I believe I would react more violently now than I did 20 years ago, because today I place such a high value on the innocence of kids.

Yeah I read that this morning....poor child. Jeepmom....you must be somewhere near me...thats my local paper. This was also the paper that had the weight watcher demonstrator steals cupcakes...which still makes me laugh

JeepMom wrote:

missmissylette wrote:I just want to give that little boy a big hug and tell him that he IS special!

They are doing a card campaign for him:

Alex is Special
c/o Barbara Curtis
15648 Britenbush Ct.
Waterford, VA 20197

I am sending him a card and having my son sign it too!


For a little while, we thought my son may be autistic. I even had strangers ask me if he was. I was in tears not knowing what to do, or even what it would mean to him as he got older. My only experiance with autism was watching the movie Rain Man and my family thinking my oldest nephew may have a form. But I had his doctor look him over and she came to the conclusion that he was not, just that he was not showing his skills to us just yet. Well, a few months after that, he burst open with so many differant things. He was talking more, and better, and being "normal". I read Jenny McCarthy's book about her son, I rooted for Heather to win on ANTM (she has Ausperger's too, and was from Indiana- I root for the midwesterners to win) and keep an open mind when it comes to autism. Being that I had the scare that maybe my baby was special too, my heart melts a little more when I see a young child with it.

That teacher just upsets me so much. Why get into a profession like that, to only tear the children down? Parents and teachers are the biggest influences to children. They are there to teach the children and help thier self-esteem. Not tear them down. Now, the children will think it's okay to banish another child from anything.

I am going to post this story and that address to a few friends to get Alex some more cards to how him, HE IS SPECIAL. He is what will make a differance in this world. But that will only happen if the right people tell him and show him.

No, I'm up in IL. I googled it when they were on the CBS Morning show today.

Something has to be done about that situtation. After working in education with special needs children, I know that is a big NO NO. There has to be an advocay group to help that mother. I wouldn't rest and let it go until I got what I needed for my child.

ACLU?

Unbelievable! I am a mother of a 7 year old autistic boy and I find that the teacher is a horrible woman. If it was my son I would be fighting for charges to be laid and to have her banned from teaching. I hope that the parents of the other children refuse to send their children to school until they remove her.