There are two cases here, both involving elementary school teachers verbally abusing their students. We all know how sensitive some little children are, so imagine a child being publicly humiliated by his own teacher and being told that he is stupid or worthless or hated…? These so-called ‘educators’ shouldn’t be involved in any child’s life, if this is really their mentality. Of course I say innocent until proven guilty, but what child makes up a lie like this? …And one child even got it all on tape!

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Alex Barton, a 5-year-old boy with a cherubic face and neat blond hair, hasn’t forgotten what happened last week in his classroom at Morningside Elementary.

His mother, Melissa Barton, can’t forget, either.

Alex, who his mother says has been diagnosed with autism, was instructed by teacher Wendy Portillo to stand in front of the class on Wednesday and listen as other students described what they disliked about him, according to a police report.

Portillo then asked the students to vote on whether he should stay in class. The class voted 14-2 for him to leave.

“That anyone would do that to a child, it’s just sickening,” Barton said.

The incident, reported in local and national media, prompted outrage and condemnation from parents, community members and professionals who work with disabled children. Some have asked whether the incident is indicative of a greater problem in understanding how best to work with disabled children, while others say such behavior would have been damaging to any child.

“I would first ask the question of whether that teacher was trained as a teacher,” said Jack Scott, director of Florida Atlantic University’s Center for Autism and Related Disabilities. “There’s really no excuse for this.”

Superintendent Michael Lannon told the school board Tuesday that he has received more than 300 e-mails about the incident and that Morningside Principal Marcia Cully has received about 700.

He mentioned the incident briefly in his report to the board and noted that Portillo, a teacher at Morningside for nine years, should be considered innocent until she had admitted otherwise or been found guilty by officials.

Portillo was removed from the classroom Tuesday and will remain at the St. Lucie County School District’s offices until school officials conclude an investigation. Such investigations typically take two weeks, said Janice Karst, a district spokeswoman.

Portillo, who began teaching in St. Lucie County in 1995, has never had a poor teaching evaluation. Pauline Hebb, former principal of Morningside, described her as “wonderful” and “caring” and said she was an asset to the school, according to Portillo’s personnel file.

Barton said she received word from a private psychiatrist Tuesday that her son had been diagnosed with autism. (Source)

***

Ignorant. Pathetic. Self-absorbed.

Those are some of the harsh names an Indiana kindergarten teacher called one of her students, and the boy’s parents captured it all on tape.

Five-year-old Gabriel Ross complained over the school year that his teacher, Kristen Woodward, was being mean to him, said his mother Tabitha McMahan and stepfather J.R. Edwards. Gabriel told them other kids didn’t like him because he was “bad and stupid.”

When he began acting out at home, they decided to take action and try to find out what was going on in the classroom. So in mid-April, McMahan and Edwards sent Gabriel to school with a tape recorder in the pocket of his cargo pants.

What they heard over four hours of tape shocked them. Woodward can be heard telling Gabriel that he had “tortured and tormented” her and other teachers all year.

“I’ve been more than nice to you all year long and you’ve been ignorant, selfish, self-absorbed, the whole thing! I’m done!” Woodward says to Gabriel on the tape.

She continues: “Something needs to be done because you are pathetic! If me saying these words to you hurt, I hope it does because you’re hurting everyone else around you.”

Gabriel can be heard crying on the tape.

“You think it’s bad when you see it on paper, but when you are hearing the way she says it to him. I can’t even talk about it,” McMahan told ABC affiliate WHAS, breaking into tears.

Edwards said that the worst part of the tape was when Woodward singled Gabriel out in front of the whole class.

“So you guys think, is that somebody you want to be with?” Woodward asks the class.

In unison, the other students reply, “Noooo.”

“See, your friend doesn’t want to be with you. I don’t know what else to tell you. So you’re not going to have friends because of your actions.”

Teacher Suspended

After 13 years of teaching, Woodward has been suspended indefinitely, according to the Indiana State Teachers Association.

The teachers’ association is defending Woodward, saying that she “lost her cool” that day and hasn’t had a chance to tell her side of the story.

Carol Mooney, a spokeswoman with the Indiana State Teachers Association, told the New Albany News and Tribune newspaper that Woodward is well liked by co-workers, parents and students and that she had trouble with Gabriel all year.

“What do you say to a kid who’s rolling around, punching, biting, kicking? What can a teacher do?” Mooney said to the newspaper.

Woodward did not respond to phone messages from ABC News.

The New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corp. issued a statement saying, “Privacy issues and policy prohibit school officials from discussing ongoing investigations of employee misconduct.” (Source)

***

Matthew 18:1-7

1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.

6 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!

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