In June 2024, Aleysha Ortiz graduated from Hartford Public High School in Hartford, Conn., with honors, even earning a college scholarship. There’s just one problem: She claims she can’t read or write. The 19-year-old is now suing the school, claiming she can barely hold a pencil, and her reading skills are on the level of a first-grader. Aleysha’s troubles began at an early age, when she exhibited learning difficulties. She claims her school and the special education teacher assigned to her case were of little help until a month before graduation, when they finally conducted additional testing and discovered she was virtually illiterate. School district officials told Aleysha she could defer accepting her diploma in exchange for intensive services, but she refused. Her attorneys are now questioning how their client could graduate with honors and qualify for a college scholarship if she can’t read or write. Stranger still, how did she get accepted to the University of Connecticut? Aleysha says she sued her former high school because she wants its leaders to be held accountable for what she has experienced.
