Special needs child "voted" out of classroom

[sherri79]

At one point, I had a senior English class that had a WIDE variety of abilities. There were special education students and honors students in the same class due to a scheduling snafu that could not be fixed. (It was a small school.) The IQs literally ranged from 50 to 150+. It was one of the most challenging classes I've ever taught. One of the "honors" students in particular acted like a punk in the beginning because he was "so much better than the other kids." Finally, I kept him after school and told him that he had a lot more lessons to learn about being a human being than English. As far as I was concerned, he had what English he needed for college, now it was time for some life lessons. That worked for him. He became one of the most helpful students I've had. He tutored the others and rejoiced with them when they learned or accomplished something. All students in that class passed the Georgia High School Graduation Test in English--even the one with the 50 IQ. We were a community of learners.

On the other hand, I have been frustrated by some main-streaming. :truce: For example, one child, who was "normal" (hate that word) until she was two (her mother bashed her head repeatedly against a sink in a public restroom), is severely disabled. She can walk and feed herself, but that is about it. I love her to death--BUT she barks, yells and cries VERY loudly. She does not talk and you can't reason with her. She has a full-time para-professional, which is appropriate, but I don't feel her presence in my English class was appropriate. Teach her living skills so that she can be as productive and independent as possible. Teach her how to communicate in some small way. DON'T put her in a classroom expecting her to have a clue about the American Romantic period in literature and the fact that Natty Bumppo was the first American literary hero. It's totally worthless for her, and she disrupts the learning of others who already have enough difficulties with the learning disabilities they face.

There, I'm off my soapbox and hiding behind it.
FIRE AWAY!

no need to hide from me. some of the children they main stream should never be in a regular classroom . it is bad for the teacher, the child in question, and every other student in the class. the difference between your post and nanarosebud is huge. you ask for a special class tailored to the child's needs and she ask that we not waste money teaching the child anything.

 

[SuziQ]

no need to hide from me. some of the children they main stream should never be in a regular classroom . it is bad for the teacher, the child in question, and every other student in the class. the difference between your post and nanarosebud is huge. you ask for a special class tailored to the child's needs and she ask that we not waste money teaching the child anything.

ITA, and sometimes mainstreaming is done at the expense of a special needs childs emotional and physical safety. Kids can be cruel.

Pandora, you sound like a great teacher.

 

[Texana]

At one point, I had a senior English class that had a WIDE variety of abilities. There were special education students and honors students in the same class due to a scheduling snafu that could not be fixed. (It was a small school.) The IQs literally ranged from 50 to 150+. It was one of the most challenging classes I've ever taught. One of the "honors" students in particular acted like a punk in the beginning because he was "so much better than the other kids." Finally, I kept him after school and told him that he had a lot more lessons to learn about being a human being than English. As far as I was concerned, he had what English he needed for college, now it was time for some life lessons. That worked for him. He became one of the most helpful students I've had. He tutored the others and rejoiced with them when they learned or accomplished something. All students in that class passed the Georgia High School Graduation Test in English--even the one with the 50 IQ. We were a community of learners.

On the other hand, I have been frustrated by some main-streaming. :truce: For example, one child, who was "normal" (hate that word) until she was two (her mother bashed her head repeatedly against a sink in a public restroom), is severely disabled. She can walk and feed herself, but that is about it. I love her to death--BUT she barks, yells and cries VERY loudly. She does not talk and you can't reason with her. She has a full-time para-professional, which is appropriate, but I don't feel her presence in my English class was appropriate. Teach her living skills so that she can be as productive and independent as possible. Teach her how to communicate in some small way. DON'T put her in a classroom expecting her to have a clue about the American Romantic period in literature and the fact that Natty Bumppo was the first American literary hero. It's totally worthless for her, and she disrupts the learning of others who already have enough difficulties with the learning disabilities they face.

There, I'm off my soapbox and hiding behind it.
FIRE AWAY!

Nothing but applause from me here! :clap::clap::clap:

(and your experiences are very close to being the same as mine in elementary school level!)

 

[Taximom]

no need to hide from me. some of the children they main stream should never be in a regular classroom . it is bad for the teacher, the child in question, and every other student in the class. the difference between your post and nanarosebud is huge. you ask for a special class tailored to the child's needs and she ask that we not waste money teaching the child anything.

I agree, sherri. Pandora, you sound like a teacher that gets it. :clap:

I'm personally aware of parents that insist on mainstreaming their children into classrooms where neither the child or the rest of the classroom benefit. I do not understand that mentality.

My dd is in "1st grade" and is still trying to figure out how many lines there are when making the letter "E", and couldn't tell you how old she is. She's best left in her classroom where the teachers have the time to help her with those things. There's no point in having her in a typical 1st grade classroom as it would not help her or the other children. She is able to attend some classrooms so she can get that peer feeling and socialization. Those would be art, music and gym.

I'm thankful our schools take their job seriously and do the best they can with our children.

 

[Opie]

My daughter sent me this link, evidently passed around by her Asperger's group on-line:

http://momnos.blogspot.com/2008/05/tribe-has-spoken/html

 

[MagicRose99]

My daughter sent me this link, evidently passed around by her Asperger's group on-line:

http://momnos.blogspot.com/2008/05/tribe-has-spoken/html

I'm getting "Blog not found" - any info as to what was at the site?

 

[Taximom]

That's interesting, MagicRose. Maybe it's just down temporarily for maintenance. It was a blog entry about this case and inclusion.

 

[SuziQ]

Interesting that 73% of special ed students in Utah graduated, which is higher than the national average of about 70%. Pretty dang cool for a bunch of kids not worthy of funding (sarcasm).

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_9462161?source=rv

(snip)
The number of special-education students in Utah has remained steady in recent years, between 53,000 and 55,000, with a 73 percent graduation rate last year that missed the state's goal by a mere percentage point.

 

[6angels]

Hi. is there any update?

 

[XcomSquaddie]

Yes, there are updates:

A link to the narrative portion of the police report:
http://web.tcpalm.com/2008/05/29/Bartonrpt.pdf

Anyone concerned about this case MUST read this report.
This is the official report, as taken by the School Resource Officer and contains BOTH sides of the story.

A general article regarding the above report:
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/may/29/police-report-reveals-teachers-side-incident-which/


Generally, it does not sound like actual child abuse. However, I can easily see how it would be perceived that way by a child.

I said it earlier and I'll say it again: This document should have been released as soon as the story hit the press. It would have staved off a lot of bad press and misunderstandings.

How do I feel about it?

I do not think the teacher meant to abuse the child, but I do think she made an incredibly bad decision. Given that she knew the boy was being tested for autism/aspergers, and that she knew the behaviors were symptomatic, she should have handled it differently.

I don't know what should happen as far as her job and career, but I would not be comfortable with her teaching my autistic son.

 

[golfmom]

Xcom, I read the article and I still see nothing in there that justified her cruel abuse of this boy. It's outrageous to think that standing a child up before his peers to hear the "truth" about how they all hate him because he's a bugger eater is going to correct his behavioral issues. First, he can't control a number of those issues and Second, the only possible outcome is for him to withdraw or act out further.

 

[BhamMama]

I'm getting "Blog not found" - any info as to what was at the site?

http://momnos.blogspot.com/

Here ya go. Just go to the front page.

She raises some interesting things.

Personally, I don't believe in the it takes a village ideal. I'd rather keep most of the people we meet that have supposed value away from my children. I'm not talking family or close friends of course, but those in authority that really have no clue what it means to have a special child. Usually ends up much more complicated than it needs to be.

Of the ones that I do allow access, they have to beat down red tape just to help.

Though we home school and I've never not paid for any service given my child, if he were in public school I'd certainly expect him to have the same educational opportunities as his peers.

 

[XcomSquaddie]

Xcom, I read the article and I still see nothing in there that justified her cruel abuse of this boy. It's outrageous to think that standing a child up before his peers to hear the "truth" about how they all hate him because he's a bugger eater is going to correct his behavioral issues. First, he can't control a number of those issues and Second, the only possible outcome is for him to withdraw or act out further.

You're right, her behavior was cruel and unjustified. However I do not think she meant it to be that way. I do think it was a very, very stupid move.

The behaviors described are classic ASD. The teacher knew the boy was being tested for this, if she did not know anything about the disorder she was obligated to research it.

However those behaviors are frustrating. It's easy to say she's a bad teacher, but dealing with those behaviors can be very trying. Even so, while I can understand her frustration, I still think she picked a very bad way to handle it.

So, please don't think I'm supporting her. I do think she was in a tough situation. But like I said very early in this thread, everyone involved could have learned positive lessons from this experience.

She handled it poorly and all of her students suffered for that.

 

[Beyond Belief]

PORT ST. LUCIE — The family of the kindergarten boy voted out of class last month is moving forward with a civil lawsuit, said the boy's mother, Melissa Barton.
Barton said her attorney has put the St. Lucie County School District on notice he intends to file a civil lawsuit, claiming discrimination and that 5-year-old Alex Barton's civil rights were violated.
A notice was filed with the district's legal department, Barton said. The district now has six months to respond before an official lawsuit can be filed, she said.
Alex's Morningside Elementary teacher, Wendy Portillo, allowed his classmates to tell him what they thought of his behavior, while he stood in front of the class, according to police reports of the incident. Portillo told investigators Alex had been misbehaving and had two disciplinary referrals that day.
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/jun/07/alex-barton-family-plans-to-sue/

 

[SeriouslySearching]

Sue the hell outta them!! Good for his parents!! This one makes me furious!!

 

[Beyond Belief]

PORT ST. LUCIE — The attorney representing the boy voted out of kindergarten says he is considering naming teacher Wendy Portillo individually in a potential lawsuit.
West Palm Beach attorney Jeff Vastola said teachers can be sued individually if it can be demonstrated the teacher had an intention to cause harm. While he still has to investigate and review the entire situation, Vastola said he might be able to prove intent on Portillo’s part.
Vastola sent a certified letter last week placing the School District on notice he intends to sue the district on behalf of Alex Barton, the 5-year-old voted out of his Morningside Elementary class after class members told him what they thought of his behavior.
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/jun...who-allowed-student-be-v/?feedback=1#comments

 

[XcomSquaddie]

PORT ST. LUCIE — The attorney representing the boy voted out of kindergarten says he is considering naming teacher Wendy Portillo individually in a potential lawsuit.
West Palm Beach attorney Jeff Vastola said teachers can be sued individually if it can be demonstrated the teacher had an intention to cause harm. While he still has to investigate and review the entire situation, Vastola said he might be able to prove intent on Portillo’s part.
Vastola sent a certified letter last week placing the School District on notice he intends to sue the district on behalf of Alex Barton, the 5-year-old voted out of his Morningside Elementary class after class members told him what they thought of his behavior.
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/jun...who-allowed-student-be-v/?feedback=1#comments

That will be tough to prove.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

I think the teacher demonstrated intent to cause harm to the child. When you single out any child, but in particular a special needs child, to subject them on purpose to ridicule from everyone in the classroom...it is going to cause harm to the child without any doubt. Mental abuse can be proven as easily in this case as if the teacher allowed the child to be beaten over the head with a broomstick, imo. They can parade psychologist after psychiatrist after respected special education teachers to testify to that.

 

[XcomSquaddie]

Cool. They should go for everything they can.

 

[Paladin]

Cool. They should go for everything they can.

<sarcasm>

And hurt all of the other children in this district by taking away funding for worthwhile programs!

</sarcasm>

An apology is all that's needed. This kid doesn't need a payday.