A college freshman in Connecticut is suing the Hartford Board of Education and the City of Hartford after receiving a high school diploma without being able to read or write.
Aleysha Ortiz, who attends the University of Connecticut, is struggling to keep up with her peers. Born in Puerto Rico, Ortiz moved to the mainland United States at age 5. English is not her first language.
“I didn’t know English very well. I didn’t know the rules of the schools. There were a lot of things they would tell me, and I let myself go by what the teachers would tell me because I didn’t understand anything,” the 19-year-old said.
As Ortiz advanced through grade levels, she claims she did not receive proper information or evaluation to help her succeed. She said she relied on text-to-speech apps to communicate and learn, leaving her underserved and undiagnosed.
“I’m a very passionate person, and I like to learn,” Ortiz said. “People took that opportunity from me, and now I’m in college, and I want to take advantage of that because this is my education.”
In May 2024, before graduation, Ortiz spoke at a city council meeting, revealing the conditions in which she learned and disclosing her illiteracy. Officials then stepped in to find resources for her.
Testing later revealed she has dyslexia and struggles with phonics, fluency, and reading comprehension.
According to the National Literacy Institute, 21% of adults in the U.S. are functionally illiterate, and 34% of them were born outside the country.
Since Ortiz was born outside of the United States and her first language is not English, her designation should have been “Multi-Language Learner.” The designation is supposed to set up checks and balances to help students overcome the language barrier.
The Connecticut Technical Education and Career System defines a multilingual learner as a student “whose dominant language is other than
English, and whose proficiency in English is not sufficient to assure ‘equal educational opportunity’ in the regular school program.” These students require additional support to fully participate in English-language instruction.Ortiz’s experience suggests she did not receive that support. It is unclear whether she will continue in higher education, as her lack of basic K-12 fundamentals presents a significant barrier to success.
RELATED CONTENT: Financial Institution Helps Parents Teach Their Children Financial Literacy