Nationwide — Aleysha Ortiz, a 19-year-old teen from Hartford, Connecticut, has filed a lawsuit against Hartford Public High School, claiming the school let her graduate with honors without properly addressing her learning difficulties. She says this left her unprepared for college.
Ortiz was born in Puerto Rico and moved to the U.S. at age five. She struggled with reading and writing throughout school but says she didn’t receive real support until one month before graduation. At that point, tests showed she was functionally illiterate.
“I came here with documents saying that I have ADHD and a speech impediment as well as that I needed professional therapy,” she said.
Despite this, the school allowed her to graduate with honors and even win a college scholarship. Ortiz says she relied on translation apps—text-to-speech and speech-to-text tools—to get through assignments, applications, and her college essay.
She enrolled at the University of Connecticut, but the coursework became overwhelming. Ortiz stopped attending classes in February and is now focusing on her mental health. She hopes to return to school once she’s ready.
In her lawsuit, Ortiz accuses the Hartford school district of negligent infliction of emotional distress. She says the district failed to give her a real education by ignoring her needs.
Ortiz wants the legal case to push school officials to take responsibility and prevent others from facing the same struggles.