Hartford Grad Sues School District, Claims She Can’t Read Or Write

HARTFORD, CT — A woman who graduated from the Hartford public school system says she can’t read or write, and she has filed a lawsuit against the district claiming it failed her.

Aleysha Ortiz, who graduated high school in 2024, is suing the city of Hartford, its board of education, and Tilda Santiago, a special education case manager. The case was filed in December and is pending in Superior Court.

“She was given a diploma not being able to read or write,” said Ortiz’s attorney, Anthony Spinella of Manchester.

Ortiz was accepted into the University of Connecticut, though her attorney said she is “struggling in school.”

Ortiz remains enrolled at UConn, though she has taken a leave of absence and intends to return this fall, according to Spinella.

“The whole situation has been overwhelming for her, with all of the (lawsuit) publicity,” Spinella said. “She is struggling psychologically.”

Attorneys representing the city and school officials did not respond to requests for a comment on the litigation. As of Friday, they also had not responded to the lawsuit’s claims in court.

According to the lawsuit, Ortiz attended Hartford schools from first through 12th grade, and she was eligible for special education services.

The litigation claims Ortiz’s learning disabilities were “not properly addressed,” which resulted in her struggling academically.

“Despite the plaintiff’s education file being replete with opinions, testing, and evaluations that indicated major learning impairments, these impairments were never adequately addressed, and her struggles continued into high school where she was still unable to read or write,” the lawsuit asserts.

Ortiz has used assistive technology, such as talk to text programs, to help her read and write and complete schoolwork, the lawsuit says.

A reading evaluation conducted right before Ortiz graduated high school in 2024 concluded she had not mastered a number of foundational reading skills, the lawsuit states. The evaluation also determined she “required explicitly taught phonics, fluency and reading comprehension.” The lawsuit indicates she never received these while a student in Hartford.

The lawsuit further claims Ortiz was subjected to “bullying and harassment” by Santiago. Ortiz is seeking unspecified compensatory damages.

Ortiz hopes to be an advocate for change in the public school system, according to Spinella.