Wendy Portillo, the teacher who was suspended for having her kindergarden class vote Alex Barton, a student with Aspergers out of class wept as she appealed the suspension in front of Division of Administrative Hearings. According to Portillo, “If I could take that morning back, I would.”
Suspended Florida Teacher Windy Portillo
Last year teacher Windy Portillo asked her class to vote on weather Alex Barton, a student with Aspergers Syndrome should remain in class after he was having some behavior issues. The class voted 14-2 to have him removed from class. This resulted in Windy Portillo being suspended for one year without pay by the school district, and being barred from teaching any further elementry students when she resumes her contract.
According to Treasure Cost Talk Portillo claims that she though that this was a “learning experience” for the classroom and was tallying up each vote as the students cast them. Portillo claims right now that becuase of this situation – she fears going out into public, and has trouble eating or drinking and has even suffered from dehydriation.
Fellow Teacher’s Reactions
Windy Portillo’s coworkers have since been wearing her purple shirts – her favorite color to show support for a teacher looked to as a “warm teacher who sought the best for her students and was held up as a model of teaching practices in the school district.” Another teacher who worked with Ms Portillo was quoted as saying “This is what she was born to do.”
Do you think the punishment for Windy Portillo was too severe?
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{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
That would definitely make some difference if the child was diagnosed after the fact. Henceforth then the teacher or staff there would not be aware of such disability. I didn’t see anything about that information on some other websites but then I didn’t do a lot of research.
This does though show how everything isn’t just black and white when it comes to the full completed facts. Lots of things could be out of context or just left out in which we make certain conclusion from what is told.
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@PwD-SD – The mother clearly stated that she informed the school he was being tested. Not only that, a behavior plan was in place
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Here’s an idea: What’s Alex’s favorite color? We could all wear that!
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I went to some other websites to research this and found out that the suspension was for a whole year! I do think that she made a mistake and that she should have been suspended for a week or two. I also found out that Alex was not diagnosed with Asperger’s until after the incident. I think that Alex should have received consistent appropriate discipline for his behavior, and didn’t. Ms. Portillo should have also received appropriate discipline for her lapse in judgement – and instead was suspended for a whole year. If a teacher is bad enough to be suspended for a whole year, they shouldn’t ever be allowed back. I don’t think her one mistake warrants that, and people shouldn’t hate her for one bad day. The other teachers support her because they know her, and because they don’t want to be suspended a whole year every time they make a mistake.
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It was the school pricipal’s suggestion to have him tested according to the article I read. The news article I read also said there had already been a staffing meeting with the ESE teacher and the classroom teacher.
I am a teacher in Florida and that sounds to me like he had at least an IEP (individual education plan) and maybe even a 504 plan (list of issues and accommodations the student will receive) in place.
As a teacher and a mother, I have to say Ms. Portillo’s actions are absolutely apalling and reprehensible. A teaching moment? She was teaching them to tally and graph how many kids don’t like another student in the class? Now the kid has auditory and visual memories of the trauma he lived. That is just plain evil.
I don’t care if she has taught 30 successful years. If she is willing to ostricize and humiliate a 5 year old, she has no business in a classroom or anywhere near children. Where there is smoke there is fire… Lord knows how many other children she has emotionally abused and never got caught.
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Now she is sorry because she didn’t get it overturned. OK some people could open ones mouth and insert feet not foot but feet. However this is an educator which really needed to comprehend her students, all her students. Not just a few or a majority! So what was she teaching her students with this action to be against another student? Not democracy but Discrimination because the child has a disability.
Personally the punishment doesn’t actually fit the crime of comprehension of what her action had cost. She as well as the rest of the teaching staff should do community service with children with disabilities. This may be the way to educate the educators about disabilities.
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One of the staff wearing the “color purple” is Cathy Oliver, ESE Chair at Morningside Elementary School.
In Florida, a ESE Chair is the chair person for support services to autistic children, and other children who require an IEP.
Cathy Oliver is very vocal about her support of Wendy Portillo’s actions toward Alex Barton.
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The teachers support Ms. Portillo; how amazing. What standards of conduct do they propose should be used in schools? If they feel that this action did not merit suspension, then what does? Their support is sending a very bad message to the community.
Immediately after the incident we heard none of this sorrow. The Barton’s had to retain an attorney in order to get anywhere in having her actions addressed.
No mention in the article about how Alex is doing. I wonder why?
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“to show support for a teacher looked to as a ‘warm teacher who sought the best for her students and was held up as a model of teaching practices in the school district.’”
Then the whole district teaching stff should be suspended. What she did to Alex Barton was nowhere near ‘warm’ or ‘what was best for her student’.
“Another teacher who worked with Ms Portillo was quoted as saying ‘This is what she was born to do.’”
What? Born to make kids feel very insecure in the one place on earth where they’re supposed to at least feel safe?
“Portillo claims right now that because of this situation – she fears going out into public, and has trouble eating or drinking and has even suffered from dehydration.”
She’s brought it on herself.
“Do you think the punishment for Windy Portillo was too severe?”
In short, no.
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