Aleysha Ortiz’s bravery in speaking out against the educational failures of the education system she has endured is powerful, and we should commend her for it. The 19-year-old is pursuing legal action against the Hartford school system because even after a dozen years there, she can’t read.
It takes immense courage to confront the system, especially when it has egregiously and continually neglected your rights. We firmly believe that no student should graduate without the foundation of basic skills essential for accessing the rights of full participation in society and realizing their individual potential.
The state’s continued failure to uphold these rights fuels the Sheff Movement Coalition’s ongoing fight to assure that every student, regardless of background or ability, has access to quality, integrated public education. Every child deserves the opportunity to succeed, and we will not stop until that right becomes a reality.
We are also concerned about the exchange between Ebong Udoma, WHSU Senior Reporter and Jessika Harkay, Connecticut Mirror reporter, in a recent podcast, (PODCAST: CT teen says Hartford denied her an education. Teachers say she’s not alone (ctmirror.org). That conversation passed on unverified and potentially erroneous claims by a Hartford school administrator about the way state funds were being allocated and used. Reporting such claims without fact-checking only serves to distort the issues underlying the systematic failure of the state to uphold the educational rights of all Connecticut children, as written in the State of Connecticut Constitution.
It is our view that our children’s educational future is best supported by an active and informed public. Therefore, we encourage students, parents, community members, and legislators to seek out information about the funding and spending practices of the Hartford School district, and the effort by the State Department of Education regarding the same. Further, we support SB 1, An Act Concerning Transparency in Education, passed in 2023, that calls for public access to school district spending patterns throughout the state of Connecticut.
Ortiz has shined a light for us to follow. We must challenge the tendency to prioritize the preservation of institutions over the lives of our children.
Elizabeth Horton Sheff writes on behalf of the entire Sheff Movement Coalition Board of Directors.