Teacher Suspended For Voting Child Out Of Class

The kindergarten teacher is accused of letting her students vote an autistic student out of class by a 14-2 margin.

By: WKRG Staff | WKRG-TV
Published: November 19, 2008

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PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) - A Port St. Lucie elementary school
teacher has been suspended without pay after she allowed her
kindergartners to openly vote on whether a 5-year-old student could
remain in class.
The St. Lucie County School Board voted unanimously Tuesday
night to suspend without pay Morningside Elementary School teacher
Wendy Portillo for one year.
School officials say Portillo brought Alex Barton to the front
of the class in May and asked other students to tell him how his
behavior affected them. Barton, who was in the process of being
diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome at the time, had left the class
twice that day for discipline referrals to the principal's office.
Portillo then asked the class to vote on whether Barton should
stay in the class. He lost the vote, 14 to 2.