A University of Connecticut student is suing the city of Hartford, the Hartford Board of Education and her special education case manager, claiming they neglected her learning disabilities and inflicted emotional distress.
Aleysha Ortiz, a freshman at UConn, graduated from Hartford Public High School in 2024 while functionally illiterate, according to an interview with CNN. In December 2024, Ortiz filed a complaint in court. The case is scheduled to appear in court today, according to the Connecticut judicial website.
Ortiz is suing for one count of negligent infliction of emotional distress against her special education case manager, one count of negligence against the Hartford Board of Education and one count of negligence against the City of Hartford. The lawsuit claims that the school and board of education did not address Ortiz’s learning disability while “she continued to struggle academically and began exhibiting maladaptive behaviors in the classroom.”
