Portillo Again Accused of Discrimination of Disabled Child

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----- Forwarded Message ----To: deniseslist Sent: Thu, September 16, 2010 2:51:13 PMSubject: Portillo

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The following is a message sent me RE the current situation with Portillo. Do as you will with it.

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I need your help. I need to get the word out about a new incident involving Portillo. Here is the info, can you pass it along and ask others to do the same? I am requesting that everyone ask the national media to pick up the story. There are some emails below. It has been confirmed that Saint Lucie County Schools, nor the state of Florida will be punishing her in the new discrimination case! Emailsscoop@...glennbeck@...foxhannity@...foxreport@...ataub@...oreilly@... newsmanager@...fair@...letters@...editor@...news-tips@...60m@...ftn@...earlyshow@...nightline@...info@...______________________________________The Port St Lucie School District has no intention to discipline the teacher who in the past voted an autistic child out of class. Beth Woods, the mother of the newest victim is a special education teacher in the Saint Lucie County School District. To quote:“If an administrator, a guidance counselor and

the sixth-grade team (of teachers) would do this to my daughter, what do you think they would do to your child?†Woods said.http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2010/sep/07/mom-st-lucie-hearing-impaired-student-says-why-she/FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 7, 2010 (The Law Offices Of Sopp, P.A.) – A Florida teacher who made national headlines in 2008 because she led her kindergarten students to vote an autistic child out of class two years ago is again accused of discrimination of a disabled child. Portillo and two other teachers were named in a complaint filed with the Office for Civil Rights for failure to use a microphone as required by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act for a hearing impaired student. The student became hearing impaired due to medical

complications. The student’s mother is a special education teacher within the school district. The mother, child and attorney Sopp, Esquire are expected to hold a press conference this afternoon at 5:00pm EST.Janice Karst, a spokesperson for the school district, says that Portillo continues to teach.The Florida Department of Education has declined to conduct any further investigations into Portillo based upon the information it has received. The Office for Civil Rights has ordered the St. Lucie County School Board to correct the situation by ordering training for Portillo and the other teachers identified in the OCR report.In May 2008, Portillo, teaching kindergarten at Morningside Elementary in Port St. Lucie, was disciplined for humiliating a 5-year-old autistic student Barton, by constructing a vote and asking other children to say what they think of the child’s disorder. The child was made to stand

in front of Portillo's class and face a vote similar to that of television's "Survivor." Barton lost the vote 14-2.The Florida Education Practices Commission permitted Portillo to return to her teaching position in November 2009 after agreeing to a one-year probationary period and a fine of $500 for her discrimination of the kindergartener.The child's mother, Barton, filed a federal lawsuit against Portillo, the St. Lucie County School District and, teachers union; St. Lucie County Teachers Association & Classified Unit in August 2009. Sopp P.A. (561)683-5612