Teacher punished for class vote reinstated

FORT PIERCE, Fla., Nov. 11 (UPI) -- School board members in St. Lucie County, Fla., said they restored the tenure of a teacher who was suspended for allowing a student to be voted out of class.

The Palm Beach (Fla.) Post said Tuesday teacher Wendy Portillo was stripped of her tenure after she allowed her Morningside Elementary class to vote a 5-year-old boy out of the class in May 2008.

Portillo, who was also suspended for an unspecified length of time for the incident, will be allowed to teach sixth-grade students at Allapattah K-8.

The May 2008 incident at Morningside Elementary began when young Alex Barton disrupted Portillo's class. The teacher responded by having class members vote on whether Alex, who was later diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, should remain a class member.

The incident resulted in Alex's mother, Melissa Barton, filing a lawsuit against Portillo and the school district. The lawsuit is still active.

The Post said while the school board cleared the way Tuesday for Portillo's return to the classroom, schools Superintendent Michael Lannon suggested Portillo not be allowed to work with young children.