Parents send their children to school with the expectation that the kids will at least get a general education. If they don’t, then what is the point? The entire idea — at least early on — is to learn how to read and write. Recently, a teen sued the Connecticut Board of Education among others, because she finished high school, but still can’t read or write.
It’s not every day a teen sues an entire state, but she claims no one responsible actually made sure she left the public school system adequately educated.
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Aleysha Ortiz, 19, a graduate of Hartford Public Schools, is suing the city of Hartford, the Board of Education, and one of her special education teachers, WTNH reported.
Ortiz claims that she graduated from high school unable to read or write despite asking for support for years. “My time in Hartford Public Schools was a time that I don’t wish upon anyone,” she told WTNH.
When she was in first grade, Ortiz moved from Puerto Rico to Connecticut. She became a Hartford Public Schools student at that time. As a child, she struggled with the language barrier, but other issues, including a speech impediment, dyslexia, and ADHD caused more problems.
“Every first day of school, I would tell the teacher I cannot read and write so please be patient for me, so everyone knew,” the teen said, adding that she was bullied, harassed, and neglected by people who could help. “I would cry knowing the people who had big titles knew this was happening, and no one stepped up to do something about it.”
In her lawsuit, Ortiz claims that her “learning disabilities were not properly addressed by the Board, and as a result, she continued to struggle academically.” She goes on to name special education teacher and case manager Tilda Santiago in the lawsuit. Allegedly, Santiago would “yell at, belittle, and humiliate [Ortiz] in front of other students and teachers.”
When she realized that no one was going to help her, Ortiz took matters into her own hands. She devoted all of her free time to learning, utilizing tools like audio recordings and talk-to-text to help.
“The first time getting an ‘A’ was very emotional,” Ortiz shared. “Sometimes, I would fake an ‘A’; it was very emotional to know I earned that ‘A.'” Her hard work paid off, and she was able to walk across the stage with her classmates at graduation.
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“Education is so important and I believe we’ve forgotten the meaning of it,” Ortiz said. “I’m willing and determined to support students in need.”
Her lawyer, Anthony Spinella, claimed that those in charge “really hurt” Ortiz. “It’s the treatment that she had to go through at the hands of several people, who were the adults in the room, who were supposed to be helping her,” he shared.
Ortiz was accepted into the University of Connecticut, and says she wants to focus on special education policy and advocacy. She is suing all parties for an undisclosed amount of money.
