A Connecticut teen who has claimed to be illiterate is reportedly taking legal action against her former high school for graduating her with honours despite being unable to read or write adequately.

According to reports, a high school grad, identified as Aleysha Ortiz, 19, accuses the public educational institution of neglecting her education, with claims to be barely able to hold a pencil and reading comprehension comparable to a first grader.

It’s understood that Ortiz, who is said to be born in Puerto Rico, had learning challenges at a younger age, which progressed following her move to the Mainland of the US

According to reports, the teen claims that the special needs teachers assigned to her case were ineffective until a month before graduation after conducting the additional test she had been seeking, which reflected that she was “virtually illiterate”.

It’s understood the School district officials told the youth that she could defer accepting the graduation diploma in exchange for intensive services. She refused.

“I decided, they had 12 years, now it’s my time,” Ortiz shared speaking to CNN,

She wants its leaders to be held accountable for what she has experienced. She claims that they “don’t know what they’re doing and don’t care,” and she hopes that her legal battle will prevent other youths from basically having their education stolen.

“I’m a very passionate person and I like to learn,” Ortiz said. “People took that opportunity for me to learn, and now I’m in college and I wanna take advantage of that. Because this is my education.”