The father of a seven-year-old girl with Down syndrome has been making headlines nationwide due to an effort to raise funds for legal action against her school for allegedly forcing her to wear a mask despite her medical condition.
According to a report by the New York Post, Sofia Steele formerly attended Ocean Breeze Elementary School in Indian Harbour Beach. She came off the bus on Oct. 7 with a mask tied to her face and the mask was soaked with her saliva. Steele is non-verbal and due to her medical condition she has an enlarged tongue and breathes through her mouth, which makes it difficult with a mask. Steele’s mother was horrified to learn that this had been happening for six weeks. Steele's story has also been featured on stopmaskingkids.com.
The New York Post reported that Sofia’s father, Jeffrey Steele, explained that his daughter has an individual education plan (IEP) and she was medically exempt from needing to wear a mask. He said the school never told the family that she had been wearing a mask. He also said that Sofia had been experiencing behavioral issues both at home and at school, but he did not know that she was being forced to wear a mask during this timeframe.
Steele said he met with school officials on Oct. 12, where they admitted that they had been tying a mask to her head or holding it on with hair clips. Despite the anger from Steele’s father, school officials have said they acted accordingly.
“The student was given a medical mask exemption as soon as the mother made the request to school leadership,” Brevard Public Schools Chief Strategic Communications Officer Russel Bruhn said. “The school district is investigating and is in the process of gathering all the facts. BPS strives to ensure each student has the best educational experience possible and will continue in that effort.”
Steele’s father pulled her from the school and they have hired an attorney. The story has made the rounds, with Steele going on Fox News and speaking with other major news outlets. As of Nov. 8, $103,652 has been raised for legal fees.
“We are raising Sofia's legal fund goal to $200,000 to meet the legal challenges before us,” Jeffrey Steele said in a post on the crowdfunding website givesendgo.com. “As you all know, the government has access to our tax dollars to litigate against us. We have yet to hear anything from the Brevard County School Board. However, we will not give up this legal action for Sofia. Thank you so much for your ongoing support and prayers.”