Mom Hears From AG, Concerned Parents After Class Voted to Expel Her Autistic Son
The Florida Attorney General’s Office has contacted a Florida woman whose misbehaving autistic 5-year-old son was expelled from class last week based on a vote of his classmates.
Melissa Barton had said she was considering a lawsuit over the incident in a Port St. Lucie School. She said the teacher made her son, Alex, stand in the front of her classroom while each classmate was allowed to say what they disliked about him. The she had the students vote on whether he should remain; Alex lost by a vote of 14 to 2.
Since reports of the incident surfaced, Barton has received hundreds of supportive e-mails and a call from Phil McGraw, who asked if she would like to appear as a guest on Dr. Phil, TCPalm reports. She also received a call from the state Attorney General’s Office of Civil Rights. The story didn’t elaborate on the conversation.
The school later reassigned the teacher to district offices pending an investigation.
Alex is in the process of being diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a type of high-functioning autism. He screamed when his mother drove near the school and has not attended class since the incident. The other night, Barton said, he kept repeating “I’m not special” over and over.
But he brightened when he received a call from a classmate Tuesday evening who discussed SpongeBob SquarePants and squirrels with him.
Barton says she has heard from many parents of special needs kids who have had problems in school for behavior that isn’t their fault. “It’s not something you can correct with some sort of demented behavior modification program,” she said.
Barton and her son gave an interview to CBS News, and she is considering the Dr. Phil invitation.
