A Connecticut university student is suing her former school district for allowing her to graduate with honors despite being functionally illiterate, raising alarming questions about the standards of America’s education system.
At a Glance
- Alyesha Ortiz, 19, is suing Hartford Board of Education claiming she graduated high school without being able to read or write
- Despite her illiteracy, Ortiz graduated as an honor roll student and was accepted to the University of Connecticut
- Ortiz’s lawsuit alleges negligence and highlights failures in the special education system
- The case reflects broader issues with literacy teaching methods that are increasingly facing legal challenges nationwide
Honor Student Who Cannot Read
Alyesha Ortiz, a 19-year-old student at the University of Connecticut, has filed a lawsuit against the Hartford Board of Education and the City of Hartford alleging educational negligence. Her claim states she cannot read or write despite graduating high school as an honor student. Ortiz, who moved to the United States from Puerto Rico at age five, has been in the American education system for most of her life yet claims she was not taught basic skills like telling time or counting money. Her case has become a stark example of what critics describe as systematic failures in America’s public education system.
School records show Ortiz struggled with fundamental skills throughout her education. By sixth grade, she was reading at a kindergarten or first-grade level. Despite these documented difficulties, she was continuously passed through the system. When applying to college, Ortiz relied on voice-to-text applications to complete her applications. The lawsuit specifically targets her special education case manager for negligent infliction of emotional distress, claiming that instead of receiving proper help, she faced bullying and harassment.
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Failed Educational Approaches
Ortiz’s situation highlights growing concerns about literacy teaching methods across the nation. Her case coincides with increasing scrutiny of the “balanced literacy” approach that dominated American education in recent decades. This teaching method, popularized in the 1990s, has come under legal fire for its ineffectiveness. New York City Public Schools banned the approach in 2023, acknowledging its failure to teach fundamental reading skills. Educational advocates point to Ortiz’s case as evidence of broader systemic issues that allow students with learning disabilities to fall through the cracks.
“We have not taught the kids the basic, fundamental structures of how to read. We have gotten this wrong in New York and all across the nation,” said David Banks, as quoted in a legal challenge against the balanced literacy approach.
It wasn’t until 11th grade that Ortiz advocated for herself, leading to testing that diagnosed her with dyslexia. This diagnosis should have triggered specific educational support, but the lawsuit claims these interventions came too late. School officials reportedly offered Ortiz the option to defer her diploma for intensive services, but she chose to graduate, unaware of the challenges she would face at the university level. The case raises questions about the responsibility of schools to ensure students have mastered basic skills before awarding diplomas.
Growing Legal Challenges
Ortiz’s lawsuit is not isolated. In December 2024, Massachusetts parents filed a lawsuit known as Conley v. Calkins against key figures in the balanced literacy movement, including Lucy Calkins, Irene Fountas, Gay Su Pinnell, their publishers, and Columbia’s Teachers College. The plaintiffs claim these educators fraudulently represented their curricula as research-backed while failing to effectively teach reading. This legal challenge seeks damages for ineffective literacy instruction and marks a shift from constitutional complaints to consumer-protection arguments.
“She’s had so many teachers. I don’t know how everybody failed her,” stated Ortiz’s lawyer, highlighting the systemic nature of the educational breakdown in her case.
Hartford Public Schools responded to the lawsuit with a general statement that avoided addressing specific allegations: “While Hartford Public Schools cannot comment on pending litigation, we remain deeply committed to meeting the full range of needs our students bring with them when they enter our schools.” Critics argue this response fails to acknowledge the severity of allowing a student to graduate without basic literacy skills. Ortiz, who aspires to be a writer, has taken time off from university for mental health treatment but plans to return.
