Teacher of autistic student appeals suspension

Reported by: Bryan Garner

FT. PIERCE, FL -- Wendy Portillo dabbed her eyes with a tissue as her attorney spoke about the damage that's been done to her career in the past year.

"But for a single brief lapse of judgment, the evidence will show that for a 12 year career Wendy Portillo was a model of educational excellence," her attorney David Walker told an administrative judge, presiding over her case.

That "lapse of judgment" he's referring to is a story that made national headlines.

In May of 2008, Portillo, a kindergarten teacher at Morningside Elementary School in Port St. Lucie, was trying to make an example of one student's bad behavior.



She sent her student, Alex Barton, to the assistant principal's office after he disrupted class by eating crayons and kicking a desk. When he returned to class, Portillo gathered students to the front of the room and invited them to speak out about Alex's behavior.

After the students listed the things Alex did that they didn't like, Portillo took a class poll on whether Alex should be allowed to stay in class. The children voted him out.

"What did Miss Portillo teach those young impressionable minds that day?" Elizabeth Coke, attorney for the St. Lucie County school district, asked rhetorically to the administrative judge overseeing Portillo's appeal.

Complicating the case, Alex Barton was later diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, a version of autism that limits social skills and may explain the boy's behavioral problems.

Portillo's lawyer insisted that neither she nor the school district knew Alex Barton was autistic, though Portillo did have concerns about the boy's behavior months earlier and did refer him for testing.

Her lawyer acknowledges that, on the day of the "vote," she made a mistake. But he went on to argue that the punishment - a year's suspension and loss of tenure - does not fit the offense in this case. Especially for a 12 year veteran teacher with an otherwise strong record.

During this appeal, Portillo will fight for a reduced punishment. The school district will try to justify its decision in the case.

The incident generated hundreds of news stories and emails "from around the world," said Michael Lannon, superintendent for St. Lucie County schools.

Alex Barton's mother, Melissa, has become an advocate for autistic children in the past year. She doesn't think Portillo's punishment goes far enough.

"Nothing less than her being fired is acceptable in my opinion," she said.

Source: http://www.wptv.com/news/local/story...q0yrrTd0w.cspx

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