In 2024, Aleysha Ortiz graduated with honors from Hartford Public High School in Connecticut and was accepted into UConn as a freshman. She grew up as a first-generation English speaker after immigrating as a child with her parents from Puerto Rico – a shining example of the American Dream. But there is a major problem: Aleysha is illiterate. Her college life is on hold, and she is suing the Hartford Board of Education, the City of Hartford, and her special education case manager, Tilda Santiago, for negligence.
Aleysha Ortiz's attorney, Anthony Spinella, told the CTMirror: "We're not suing for any services. We're not suing for their inability to teach her basic skills. We're suing for the emotional damage that was caused when [Ortiz] went through the processes of trying to get [the district] to help her and how she was treated by some of the administrators and the teachers."
The school system responded to queries by releasing a statement to CNN: "While Hartford Public Schools cannot comment on pending litigation, we 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."
Kicking the Kid Down the Lane
Of course, state legislators saw an opening to join the national debate on education. State Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding and Sen. Eric Berthel, a ranking member on the Legislature's Education Committee, wrote a letter to Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker seeking answers on this particular case of education neglect: "The student was allegedly denied services — over 12 years — due to lack of funding and roadblocks to learning at many levels," the letter read.
The Republican senators politely asked for "a summary of state education funding for Hartford for the past 12 years."
To describe what occurred concisely over 12 years of education in Hartford, one must go back to the 5-year-old child who immigrated in 2011 to Connecticut. Ortiz's mother brough the district a document from the Puerto Rico Department of Education outlining the need for occupational therapy before Aleysha's enrollment. "The first day of school, I was holding my mom's hand and didn't want to let go," Aleysha said in the testimony. "I finally did, and I believe it was the biggest mistake of my life. From the first day, I struggled so much."
Aleysha recalls being labeled as the "problem child" because she couldn't participate in reading aloud. She stopped interacting and withdrew, could barely read one-syllable words, and yet no one tested her for dyslexia. "Instead of teaching me, they would tell me, 'Here, you go play games over there.' And I'd see the other kids and would get angry," Ortiz told the CTMirror.
By the time high school rolled around, Ortiz says she was too stubborn to quit and mulishly refused to flunk out. So, she invented her own way of coping with her special needs – talk-to-text apps came in handy. But what kind of life did she have? She explains: "Basically [in high school], I would go to class. I would record and try to memorize everything the teacher said and what I wanted to write. Then, when I went home, I would stay and hear the recordings. I basically went to school two times in one day," Ortiz said. There was no time for building up the extracurricular activities, which is a large part of the middle and high school experience.
Tilda Santiago was assigned as Ortiz's case worker. Santiago is also being sued for her alleged harassment, stalking, bullying, name-calling, and public ridicule – most egregious actions no caseworker should exhibit.
Lo and behold, at the 11th hour, the school decided to test the child as the Puerto Rico Dept of Ed had requested. But it's too little too late for this girl.
Higher Education Near Impossible
How did this illiterate – albeit hard-working – child get accepted into college? UConn was possible because it has a holistic application process. These days in higher education, no one cares about SAT scores. According to the UConn admissions department at the University, they care more about GPA and extracurricular activities.
Again, the question must be asked: How did she get in? CNN queried Ortiz on the matter and told them she used voice-activated applications.
The young lady is in counseling, and as the lawsuit claims, she will "likely incur additional expenses for such treatment/counseling in the future, has been prevented from and deprived of the opportunity to fully enjoy her childhood … and will continue to suffer in the future."
Ortiz is seeking $3 million in damages – or $250,000 per year enrolled in the school. "One of the reasons I didn't drop out was from anger – and knowing that I might not be the only one, but you don't hear it around," Ortiz confided to the CT Mirror, "With me, people knew about it and didn't want to do their job, and knowing this – it must be happening in other places."
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