A former Hartford Public Schools student with a disability who alleges she graduated without the ability to read or write filed a lawsuit in Hartford Superior Court Friday against the City of Hartford, local board of education and a special education case manager in the district. In her complaint, Aleysha Ortiz, 19, alleges she was bullied, harassed and/or neglected by staff in the school district, including her special education case manager. The lawsuit alleges negligent infliction of emotional distress and negligence. Ortiz is seeking $3 million in damages, said her attorney, Anthony Spinella. “We’re not suing for any services. We’re not suing for their inability to teach her basic skills,” Spinella told the CT Mirror Friday. “We’re suing for the emotional damage that was caused when [Ortiz] went through the processes of trying to get [the district] to help her and how she was treated by some of the administrators and the teachers.” Cristian Corza, the deputy chief of staff for the City of Hartford, and Jennifer Hockenhull, the chair of the Hartford Board of Education, said they were unable to comment on ongoing litigation. The legal filing marks the second lawsuit filed by Ortiz and comes months after The Connecticut Mirror published an investigation about Ortiz’s educational experience that included a review of audio recordings with district officials, her student records and other documents. In that story, Ortiz said she not only experienced educational neglect and was never provided proper services, but was also ridiculed by staff. In her first lawsuit, which was a special education due process complaint and handled by special education attorney Courtney Spencer, Ortiz sought services to learn how to read, write and other things she wasn’t taught in the public school system. Spencer said that complaint is still in process. The new complaint is rooted in allegations that Tilda Santiago, a special education case manager for Ortiz from September 2022 through May 2023, bullied and harassed the high schooler for several months. The complaint alleges that Santiago “exhibited controlling and possessive behaviors when it came to other teachers that would speak to or help [Ortiz] and would raise her voice and engage in conflict with those teachers.” The lawsuit also said that Santiago would “yell at, belittle, ridicule, and humiliate” Ortiz in front of other students or teachers, verbally abused, belittled and intimidated the student, “would stalk” her during school hours and altered her attendance records. Santiago did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 0 – Complaint (12.10.24)Download The lawsuit also alleges that several people employed under the Hartford Board of Education did not “timely and adequately address” reports of misconduct against Ortiz. “Despite the reports to administration, nothing was done to timely and adequately address Tilda Santiago’s inappropriate and prohibited conduct, except that Assistant Principal [Elvis] Minga removed Tilda Santiago as the Plaintiff’s case worker approximately four weeks before the end of the 2022-23 school year because of the dysfunctional relationship between Tilda Santiago and the Plaintiff,” the lawsuit said. The board and several other school employees failed to report, investigate or respond to reports of bullying, harassment and suspected abuse which resulted in Ortiz experiencing psychological and emotional injuries, the lawsuit alleges. “In February 2023, because of the relentless bullying and harassment by Tilda Santiago, [Ortiz] experienced suicidal ideation and suffered an emotional breakdown and put herself at extreme risk when she opened the door of a moving vehicle,” the lawsuit said. The lawsuit also names a number of teachers and staff professionals as employees who allegedly also bullied, harassed or neglected Ortiz. “The involved teachers and administrators were aware of the [Ortiz’s] disabilities and pre-existing conditions that made her especially vulnerable and more likely to be harmed by the aforementioned conduct,” the lawsuit read, adding that school administrators put Ortiz “at risk of imminent harm of extreme emotional distress and aggravation of her underlying conditions.” Because of the district’s inaction, Ortiz has since paid for counseling and will “likely incur additional expenses for such treatment/counseling in the future, has been prevented from and deprived of the opportunity to fully enjoy her childhood … and will continue to suffer in the future,” the lawsuit alleges.