By Colleen Wixon Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers sun-sentinel.com
PORT ST. LUCIE - Melissa Barton said she is considering legal action after her son's kindergarten teacher led his classmates to vote him out of class.After each classmate was allowed to say what they didn't like about Barton's 5-year-old son, Alex, his Morningside Elementary teacher Wendy Portillo said they were going to take a vote, Barton said.By a 14 to 2 margin, the students voted Alex -- who is in the process of being diagnosed with autism -- out of the class.Melissa Barton filed a complaint with Morningside's school resource officer, who investigated the matter, Port St. Lucie Department spokeswoman Michelle Steele said. But the state attorney's office concluded the matter did not meet the criteria for emotional child abuse, so no criminal charges will be filed, Steele said.
Port St. Lucie Police no longer are investigating, but police officials are documenting the complaint, she said.Steele said the teacher confirmed the incident took place.Portillo could not be reached for comment Friday.Steele said the boy had been sent to the principal's office because of disciplinary issues. When he returned, Portillo made him go to the front of the room as a form of punishment, she said.Barton said her son is in the process of being diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a type of high-functioning autism. Alex began the testing process in February at the suggestion of Morningside Principal Marcia Cully.Children diagnosed with Asperger's often exhibit social isolation and eccentric behavior..Alex has had disciplinary issues because of his disability, Barton said. After the family moved into the area and Alex and his sibling arrived at the school in January, Alex spent much of the time in the principal's office, she said.He also had problems at his last school, but he did not have issues during his two years of preschool, Barton said.School and district officials have met with Barton and her son to create an individual education plan to address his difficulties, she said. Portillo attended these meetings, Barton said.Barton said after the vote, Portillo asked Alex how he felt."He said, 'I feel sad,' " Barton said.Alex left the classroom and spent the rest of the day in the nurse's office, she said.Barton said when she came to pick up her son at the school Wednesday, he was leaving the nurse's office."He was shaken up," she said.Barton said the nurse told her to talk with Portillo, who told her what happened.Alex hasn't been back to school since then, and Barton said he won't be returning. He starts screaming when she brings him with her to drop off his sibling at school.Thursday night, his mother heard him saying "I'm not special" over and over.Barton said Alex is reliving the incident.The other students said he was "disgusting" and "annoying," Barton said."He was incredibly upset," Barton said. "The only friend he has ever made in his life was forced to do this."St. Lucie School's spokeswoman Janice Karst said the district is investigating the incident, but could not make any further comment.Vern Melvin, Department of Children and Families circuit administrator, confirmed the agency is investigating an allegation of abuse at Morningside but said he could not elaborate.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Mom says teacher let classmates vote autistic son out of class
Posted by Adam the Catholic at 1:41 PM 0 comments
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Assisted Suicide Bill Passes in California
Posted by Adam the Catholic at 11:05 PM 0 comments
Friday, May 23, 2008
Father Barron on Pope Benedict's Visit To America
Posted by Adam the Catholic at 5:35 PM 1 comments
Labels: Why I'm Catholic
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Catholic Church Approves Marian Apparition
LAUS, France (Zenit) - As pilgrims celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Marian shrine at Lourdes, the Church has officially recognized a new pilgrimage site in France.
On May 4th, Bishop Jean-Michel di Falco of the Diocese of Gap, officially recognized the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to Benoite Rencurel at the sanctuary of Laus in the area of Hautes-Alpes, France.
The pronouncement was made during a Mass in the Basilica of Notre Dame in Laus. Among those present were the apostolic nuncio to France, Bishop Fortunato Baldelli, and 30 cardinals and bishops from around the world.
Rencurel, a poor shepherdess, was born in 1647. The Virgin Mary started appearing to her in 1664 and continued visiting her throughout the rest of her life. Rencurel died in 1718.
During the apparitions, the Blessed Mother asked for a church and a house for priests to be built, with the intention of drawing people to greater conversion, especially through the sacrament of penance.
The holy site now draws 120,000 pilgrims annually. Numerous physical healings have also been associated with the site, especially when oil from a lamp is applied on the wounds according to the directives the Virgin Mary gave to Rencural.
Bishop di Falco, in his homily at the Mass broadcast throughout the country by France-2 Television, said, "344 year ago, Our Lady chose to address a simple shepherdess to open the way of penitence and conversion, to invite pilgrims to reconcile themselves with the world and with God."
Bishop di Falco explained that after researching the apparitions, he "became profoundly convinced that Benoite Rencurel spoke the truth. That the message she delivered to us merits all of our attention. That it merits that we open our hearts to welcome and to continue to carry the numerous fruits as has been the case for many centuries.
"Benoite, an uncultured country girl, received her mission from Our Lady: For 54 years, she guided pilgrims, and called for conversion and mercy. To the poor and the small, God reveals himself. And Benoite, a laywoman, was the messenger of God. How can we not see in her the very example of the responsible layman?"
The humble shepherdess, the French prelate continued, "was a modern example of the engaged laity in the life of one's community, as called for by the Second Vatican Council. She speaks to men of our time, she guides those who search, those who dig into this interior source for true life."
The very modern message of Benoite, Bishop di Falco concluded, is "to live heart to heart with God in prayer, enter deeper into conversion where we are reconciled with ourselves, with others and with God, and live your mission where your life is, in everyday community and joy."
A process
Father Salvatore Perrella, from the Pontifical Marianum Theological Faculty, explained in L'Osservatore Romano how the Church determines the legitimacy of apparition claims.
He noted that the local bishop, the episcopal conference and the Pope are all involved in the process.
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has established that to proceed with verifying a supposed apparition, a report must compile, among other things, information on the observed facts of the case; an examination of the message, which cannot be against Christian faith; a medical-psychological diagnosis to guarantee the health and normalcy of the visionary and also to eliminate the possibility of hallucinations; the visionary's communion with the Church; spiritual fruits such as a return to the faith of those who have left, the morality and ecclesial nature of the message and its cooperation in the evangelization of the world; and possible miraculous cures.
The priest said that after meticulous examination of the facts surrounding alleged apparitions, the Church has "approved during the course of history 11 apparitions out of 295 proposals for review, among them, the 12th is that referring to Our Lady of Laus."
Once verified and authenticated by ecclesiastical authority, these extraordinary manifestations are considered worthy of belief, but the faithful are free to choose if they adhere to them or not, "because faith is given only to the public revelation of God that concluded with the death of the last Apostle," Father Perrella explained.
Noting that apparitions are a grace "given freely from heaven," the priest added that though they may help increase people's faith, they "add nothing to Revelation given with sacred Scripture to the Church, but rather help to make it current in a determined time."
Talk at ya Later
Posted by Adam the Catholic at 4:34 PM 2 comments
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Why Do We Believe in God?
Father Robert Barron is in my opinion the best preacher I've ever heard. Period.
Check him out at http://wordonfire.org/
Posted by Adam the Catholic at 6:53 PM 2 comments
Labels: Why I'm Catholic
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Friday, May 2, 2008
Thats My Boy!!!!
First off! Yes he's chewing on a stick! Nicholas wants to be a dog when he grows up.
As a Father, nothing pleases me more than to just spend time with my boy. No exactly doing any thing, just spending time together. Watching a kids movie, working on the yard while he goes back and forth from helping to playing every two minuets. (Really, it's every two min.)
It makes me wonder if Our Father in Heaven feels the same way with his children. But do we even try to hang out with our old man in the sky? I know I don't as much as I need to. What about you?
Talk at ya Later
Posted by Adam the Catholic at 12:47 AM 4 comments