An honorary Connecticut student is suing the district, claiming she was never taught to read and write.
Aleysha Ortiz, 19, was awarded the honor for graduating from Hartford Public High School in June and a scholarship to the University of Connecticut, but despite those achievements, she still claims to be illiterate. New York Post It has been reported.
Ortiz, who spent 12 years in the Hartford Public School District and originally from Puerto Rican, testified about her experiences at the city council in May, explaining how the education system failed her.
“I decided, they [the school] It was 12 years,” Ortiz said. I said CNN. “Now, that's my time.”
Ortiz filed a lawsuit against Hartford, the Hartford Board of Education, and her special education case manager, Tilda Santiago, for negligence.
The lawsuit details Ortiz had a learning disability early in his first year, suffering from “character, soundness, and number recognition.” She claims that her problems have not been addressed and that she has started acting at school.
“I was a bad kid,” she told CNN.
By grade 6, Ortiz claims he was reading only at the kindergarten or first grade level.
As a sophomore at Hartford Public High School, Santiago was assigned to Ortiz's special education teacher and case manager. Ortiz claims in the lawsuit that Santiago bullied, harassed and creeped her up, and that Santiago was later removed from the role.
Ortiz's mother, Carmen Cruz, barely speaks English, but said she did her best to defend her daughter, including talking to school officials and principals.
“I didn't know English very well. I didn't know the rules of the school,” she told CNN. “There was a lot they had to say to me, and I let myself go by what the teacher did. I didn't understand anything so please let me know. ”
By the time Ortiz was in high school and middle school, she began to defend herself, leading to teachers recommending a test for dyslexia, according to the report.
The lawsuit alleges that she was eventually tested for dyslexia a month before she graduated, but the test didn't finish until the last day of high school.
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In this test, Ortiz is actually dyslexia and “need” He explicitly taught phonics, urgency, and reading comprehension. ”
Ortiz claims that district officials have said they can accept high school diplomas and receive intensive services, but refused.
In a statement to CNN, Hartford Public Schools did not comment on the pending lawsuit, but the district said it had “As students enter our school, they are deeply committed to meeting every need they bring with them, helping them to reach their full potential. ”
“Ortis, who dreams of becoming a writer, is currently attending the university's Connecticut state as a full-time student, but has not been to class since February 1st to receive mental health treatment,” he said. post.
Ortiz uses an app that translates texts into speeches and speeches, as he did in high school, to translate them into texts to complete university assignments.
Ortiz said the app gave it “A voice I never thought I had.”
