Grabbing the headlines recently is the story of Alex Barton, a former student in the Port St. Lucie Elementary Kindergarten class. Alex was forced to stand in front of his classmates and listen to why they had decided to vote him out of class. You can read the article here.

Alex, who was in the process of being diagnosed with a specific type of Autism known as Aspergers Syndrome, was removed from his classroom after a 14 to 2 vote of his classmates. To make this sad scenario far more appalling: the vote was orchestrated by Wendy Portillo, Alex’s teacher. Ms. Portillo thought it was a good idea for Alex to hear from his schoolmates how his behavior had affected them.

Aspergers Syndrome is categorized as a pervasive developmental disorder in which individuals display varying degrees of deficits in communication skills, social interactions and/or restricted and repetitive behaviors. Children with this type of disability do not follow typical patterns of childhood development and often have problems with communication and social skills. Consequently at the prompting of Ms. Portillo, five year old Alex stood at the front of his classroom and was force to listen to his classmates list off what they didn’t like about him. He was then voted out of his class.

I can’t understand how someone who is in charge of cultivating impressionable youth, found it reasonable to impose a judge and jury type scenario in a kindergarten class. Ms. Portillo had participated in the development of the Individual Education Plan (IEP) for Alex. An IEP is a tool used to ensure the needs of a student with a disability are met in the context of an educational environment. I am positive that when the school district officials, the teacher, and the parents were putting the plan together for Alex, it did not authorize Ms. Portillo to lead the class into verbal target practice on Alex.

One can’t help but wonder what the particular IEP had included as far as behavioral intervention. Ms. Portillo should have participated in the planning process and therefore should have been able to identify appropriate instructional strategies, supplementary aids and services, and program modifications and supports to assist Alex. Other participants in the IEP process would have included school psychologists, special education teachers, school physician, and family members. I would be willing to bet that none of this team would think that hosting a kindergarten “Survivor” in the classroom would be a good idea for either Alex or his classmates.

Certainly common sense, let alone classroom experience dictate that a disruptive child can be removed from a classroom if troublesome behaviors interrupt class. This action should be completed in a constructive manner with the best interest of all parties involved. I don’t think a humiliating vote out of class can ever be perceived as a constructive solution. Simply put, the role of a teacher is to teach, guide, and embrace the given classroom collectively. The teacher should have attempted to work with the child in order to combat any behavior that had impacted the class negatively in an inclusive mindset. Instead, she used 16 other five year olds to drive a wedge of separation and isolate Alex.

Some individuals responding to news articles about the segregation of Alex have defended Ms. Portillo’s action. As I read others responses to the news article, I began to speculate what would happen if the subtleties of the situation were altered. Would parents defend the teacher if the child wasn’t segregated due to disability? Would the reaction be different if the child forced to stand at the front of the class was of a different race or religion than his classmates? How can anyone think that this treatment of Alex is acceptable?

Simply put, this child has a disability which affects the way in which he interacts with others. Underdeveloped social skills, difficulties with transitions or changes and a preference for routine are commonplace with someone who has this type of developmental disability. The teacher is responsible for identifying these types of classroom issues and implementing a teaching style or finding accommodations that work for the child. Special education denotes exactly what the title implies in that some particular children may need a different type of instruction or class room function in order to learn. Denying that aspect to a child promotes a life of segregation, stereotype, and discrimination based on disability.