A 19-year-old woman from Connecticut is suing her former high school for allowing her to graduate with honors despite struggling to read and write.
Aleysha Ortiz graduated from Hartford Public High School last June, earning honors and even securing a college scholarship. However, she now claims the school failed her by not addressing her learning difficulties. She says she can barely hold a pencil and reads at the level of a first-grader.
Born in Puerto Rico, Aleysha had trouble learning from a young age. After moving to the U.S. at age five, her struggles continued, but she says her school did little to support her. She repeatedly asked for extra help but didn’t receive proper testing until a month before graduation. At that point, the school finally realized she was functionally illiterate. Officials offered her the option to delay accepting her diploma in exchange for additional services, but she refused.
“They had 12 years to help me. Now it’s my time,” she told CNN.
Despite her challenges, Aleysha was accepted to the University of Connecticut, relying on smartphone apps to assist with reading, writing, and filling out applications. However, college has been overwhelming, and she stopped attending classes in February to focus on her mental health. She hopes to return soon.
Aleysha says she filed the lawsuit to hold the school accountable and prevent other students from going through the same experience.
“I love learning,” she said. “But they took that chance away from me. Now that I’m in college, I want to take control of my education.”
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