FW: $350k for the autistic child voted out of class by his peers... NOT ENOUGH IMHO

[Guest guest]

Thursday, December 2, 2010$350,000.00 - Not a Bad Paycheck for a Third Grader I am not a big fan of the litigious society that we have become. More often than not, when I hear of a court-awarded financial windfall for someone I mentally thank Stella Liebeck for opening the litigation floodgates. Having written that, I must admit that I was quite pleased to read of the $350,000 settlement for Barton. I almost wrote about when I first read his story. In May of 2008, his kindergarten teacher allowed her students to vote on whether or not the young man would remain a member of the class. Apparently, young had been a bit of a disruption. The teacher decided to hold a reality-show style vote with the rest of the kindergarteners determining ’s fate. lost. This must be an example of the socialization that homeschooling critics argue for when they state that students will never learn how to interact with society if they do not sit with their peers for six hours each day in a public school classroom. Well, it turns out that young had a very good reason for his inability to control his behavior in the classroom. Barton is autistic. Specifically, he has Asperger's syndrome. Young master Barton completed his kindergarten year in a homeschool. And what happened to kindergarten teacher Portillo, one of those college educated, licensed, professionals whose credentials are so critical to educational success that they are held up as an example to homeschooling parents as reasons why we shouldn’t attempt to teach at home? She was suspended for a year, but has since returned to the classroom with her tenure reinstated. You can read Hamacher’s complete report here. Peace, D-BNolan ~Age 8~ My Boy, my hero, my superman, who dreams of serving his country just like his dad.Phoebe ~Age 5.5~ The sparkle of my life born with Down syndrome and cystic fibrosis, and destined for greatness. ~~Tea Party in the Park~~An open discussion homeschool group with a tea party twistWarning. I wish you Merry Christmas, and I’m not afraid to say it. ~me~