Connecticut High School Graduate Sues, Alleges She Can’t Read or Write

• According to a complaint, Aleysha Ortiz, 19, who has learning disabilities, alleges that she graduated high school without being able to read and write
• She also claimed that a special education case manager harassed and bullied her during high school
• Ortiz is now in her freshman year as a part-time student at the University of Connecticut and tells PEOPLE she is getting support from the university’s Center for Students with Disabilities

A woman is suing her former school district, alleging that she graduated high school without being able to read and write.

“At the end of the day, if you cannot read and write, it’s very hard to succeed,” Aleysha Ortiz, 19, tells PEOPLE. “That’s the reality for a lot of people. And for me, the hard part is that they took that opportunity [from] me.”

According to a complaint filed in Hartford Superior Court last December, Ortiz emigrated with her family from Puerto Rico to Connecticut when she was 5 years old.

“I came here with documents saying that I have ADHD and a speech impediment as well as that I needed professional therapy,” she tells PEOPLE. 

But, the complaint alleged that Ortiz’s learning disabilities “were not properly addressed by the Board.” As a result, she “continued to struggle academically” through elementary and middle school.

In the sixth grade, it was determined that Ortiz’ reading ability and academic skills were at a “kindergarten or first-grade level,” the complaint alleged.

Ortiz tells PEOPLE that other learning challenges included never having been taught to tell time and count money. She also continues to have trouble holding a pencil, which has been a problem since middle school.

“When I let a special ed teacher know, she was so surprised that she actually made fun of me because she didn’t believe that I was about to go to high school and never was taught how to do basic stuff,” Ortiz says. “She made fun of me instead of actually just sitting down with me.”

According to the complaint, Ortiz’s learning struggles continued into high school, and she was allegedly still unable to read and write.

In addition to the City of Hartford and Hartford School Board, the complaint named Tilda Santiago, a special education case manager who allegedly repeatedly bullied and harassed Ortiz by yelling and humiliating the teen in front of other students and teachers.

“I felt like I was going crazy. I felt like, ‘Am I in the wrong?” she says. “It was hard to deal with someone who shamed me for asking for help, who shamed me for not knowing how to read and write.”

The alleged bullying and harassment took an emotional toll on Ortiz.

“I would put my head down and I’m like, ‘It’s okay. It’s okay.’ But it really hurt me mentally, that I thought I was worthless,” she tells PEOPLE. “I thought that it would be better off if I didn’t live anymore.”

By the time she was in 12th grade, while Ortiz worked hard, she “still failed to make meaningful academic progress,” according to a May 2023 report from a social school worker cited in the complaint.

“This was recognized by many teachers and/or school employees who suggested that she get tested for dyslexia,” according to the report.

Despite her academic struggles, Ortiz managed to raise her grades, meet her credit requirements, and graduate high school with honors, ABC affiliate WTNH and CNN reported respectively.

In addition to relying on speech-to-text functions to get through her coursework in high school, Ortiz would go to class, record and memorize what her teacher said, and then review the day’s recording at home. “I basically went to school two times in one day,” she told the CT Mirror.

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According to the complaint, in May 2024, Oritz spoke with her case manager and said she was planned to attend the University of Connecticut, but expressed concerns about her future there.

A month before she graduated, the Board agreed to conduct more testing, the complaint stated. The evaluations were not completed until June 14, 2024, the last day of school.

“In summary, the reading evaluation concluded that the [Ortiz] had not mastered a number of foundational reading skills and that she required explicitly taught phonics, fluency and reading comprehension – none of which she ever received during her time as a student in the Hartford Public School system,” according to the complaint.

When reached for comment by PEOPLE, Hartford Public Schools said that while they couldn’t comment on pending litigation, they “remain deeply committed to meeting the full range of needs our students bring with them when they enter our schools — and helping them reach their full potential.”

The Hartford Board of Education and a representative had no comment, while Santiago did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

In May 2024, before she graduated, she addressed her situation at a Hartford City Council meeting, the CT Mirror reported. And in a letter to the state legislature, Ortiz wrote in part: “I hope my story served as a reminder to invest in our education system.”

Ortiz is now in her freshman year as a part-time student at the University of Connecticut and says she is getting support from the university’s Center for Students with Disabilities.

“It’s hard for me to just forget about it,” Ortiz tells PEOPLE. “And at the same time, I know how powerful the community is and I know that we have what it takes.”

“I have so much hope that one day we are going to have students from Hartford High literally run the world,” she adds. “That’s my hope.”

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.