Sofia’s Rights

Campaign Created by: Jeffrey Steel

The funds from this campaign will be received by Jeffrey Steel.

Goal: USD $200,000
Raised: USD $ 108,442
Local Media Spins Lie About The Photos: Here Are The Facts
 Press Release from The Attorney for Sofia
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Sofia Bezerra Masked in Brevard Public Schools without Parents' Consent
Indian Harbour Beach, Florida
November 29, 2021

On Thursday, October 7th, Shirley Bezerra greeted her daughter Sofia as she stepped off of the school bus from Ocean Breeze Elementary. Sofia had a mask tied to her face with a blue cord or shoelace. Shirley immediately called her husband and Sofia’s step-father Jeffrey Steel to let him know that Sofia had arrived home with a mask tied to her face. Both were understandably upset. Sofia’s mask was soaked through with saliva and it was not clear to Shirley how long her daughter had been masked without her consent.

Sofia has Down’s Syndrome who is non-verbal due in part to an enlarged tongue. Because of her condition, the Brevard school had implemented an Individualized Education Plan (“IEP”). Under both the Brevard County School Board’s mask policy and Florida law, Sofia was not to be masked, except at her parents’ sole discretion.

Last week, the Indian Harbor Beach Police Department released a report revealing that during interviews school officials and Sofia’s teachers admitted that they did not only mask Sofia on October 7th, but had been tying a mask tightly to Sofia’s face for six weeks to guarantee that she could not remove it. Videos confirmed that Sofia was masked and that the school’s masking of Sofia was concealed from her parents for weeks. The principal at Sofia’s school confirmed that the school’s policy was to speak with the parents before ever tying a mask to a child’s face, and that did not happen.

For unknown reasons, certain press outlets have focused on the timing of the photos that Jeff and Shirley took of their daughter Sofia to demonstrate to officials the manner in which the mask was tied to her face. The Indian Harbour Police report confirms that the photos taken by Shirley show how Ocean Breeze teachers tied the mask to Sofia’s face. This early reporting also ignores the admission by school officials that Sofia WAS masked without her parents’ knowledge for six weeks. 

Brevard school officials continued to mask children even after the Florida Department of Health issued an Emergency Rule requiring that masking of any child in school be done only at the parents’ sole discretion. The Brevard County School Board did not challenge the state’s no-masking without parental consent rule, which was upheld by an administrative law judge earlier this month.

One outlet in particular, Florida Today, reported that the IHB PD had determined that there was insufficient evidence that any crimes were committed against Sofia. 

Jeff and Shirley have consistently maintained that it was not their goal to have someone jailed. 

Attorneys for the family have pointed out that from the instant a teacher touched Sofia, a mentally and physically challenged child, to tie a mask to her face without state authority or parental consent, they were guilty of child abuse under Chapter 827, Florida Statutes. 

The IHB police report has been forwarded to the State Attorney’s office for final review. 

Sofia’s parents, however, are determined that the responsible Brevard Public Schools officials and school board members be held accountable for their lawless masking of Sofia.

Nick Whitney, Esq.
AndersonGlenn LLP 

*UPDATE 3 Today we filed our Federal Court lawsuit against the Brevard Public School, Superintendent, Three School Board members, the Teacher and Instructionsl Aide, for denying parental rights and rights of Sofia by forcibly tying a mask to her face without our consent. This is the beginning our legal hour and it's been tough to say the least. However, for Sofia's rights and all disabled children we will not back down! Your support is so appreciated. We pray this suit sets a serious precedent and legislation gets put in place to make sure no child in Florida and beyond will ever face this again or the parents of Special needs children. Thank you and God bless you all! 

The Steels 

*UPDATE 2* Once again we are overwhelmed with the love and support. For Sofia's well being and forthcoming case, we may need to use a very small amount to help cover these needs. Every use is documented and used explicitly for Sofia. Our legal complaints will very soon be filed by our attorney. 

*UPDATE* We are completely overwhelmed by the love and support that has been showed us. Thank you! We are raising Sofia's legal fund goal to $200,000 to meet the legal challenges before us. 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.

On October 7th, our daughter Sofia stepped off of the school bus with a mask tied to her face with a nylon rope. Sofia has Downs Syndrome, and at seven years old, is nonverbal. Due to her condition, her tongue is enlarged. With the mask tied to her face, she was unable to breathe properly and unable to express her distress. My wife recognized Sofia’s panic, her face covered causing her breathing to be restricted, blocking her ability to say "memai," then comforted Sofia after removing her mask and taking pictures of the rope tied around Sofia’s head to secure a mask to her face. The mask was totally wet from her saliva.

The school put Sofia’s health and possible life at risk. For what? Her teachers and the school principal know about Sofia’s condition, and we sent her to school assured that she would not be masked due to the danger it could pose to her. After focusing first on Sofia, and taking some time to control our rage and anger at the school and the teachers for having taken such cruel action, we confronted the school principal and the teacher the following week. At that meeting, they admitted to having tied the mask to Sofia’s face using the nylon cord and admitted that this has been happening without our knowledge since the mask policy was put in place. The school could not explain what drove them to such madness. Unbelievably, their concern at that meeting seemed to be to keep things quiet.

We have decided that Sofia’s story must be told. Across the state of Florida, and throughout the entire country, schools have and continue to act inhumanely by masking children that have medical conditions or other deficits that make the forced masking unsafe and ill-advised. If these schools cared about the children trusted to their care, they would act decently and recognize that concerns over Covid-19 cannot make them blind to the real and immediate needs of our children.

Florida’s Parents’ Bill of Rights is supposed to protect us from seeing Sofia treated like a second-class citizen, her health concerns and fears disregarded by the school, but Sofia’s school disregarded her rights and our rights as our parents to make appropriate health care decisions for Sofia. First among those, as any parent can understand, is to ensure Sofia can breathe and is dealt with as the beautiful seven year old girl that she is. Since the Parents’ Bill of Rights means nothing to Sofia’s school, we have been in contact with Governor Ron DeSantis' office, the Florida Board of Education, and Florida Senator Debbie Mayfield. We hope that the Governor and the Florida Board of Education will take appropriate action to ensure nothing like what happened to Sofia ever occurs again to another child in Florida.

Even more shocking, the school violated the Brevard County School Board’s so-called “Emergency K-12 Face Covering Requirement” by masking Sofia. The policy says that face coverings shall not be required for children with IEP or 504 plans documenting medical, physical or psychological contraindications. By the plain language of the policy, we trusted that the school would not mask Sofia. The School District placed Sofia at Ocean Breeze Elementary because of their resources for children like Sofia with special needs. We thought when we put her on the bus each morning that they were looking after her, not abusing her. How wrong we were.

We have decided not to sit by and wait to see what comes of the government’s investigation. We believe that parents like us must stand up for our rights and stand up for our children when those that we have trusted to care for and educate our children overstep and act so cruelly and inhumanely. To that end, we are raising funds so that we can take legal action against the school directly. We humbly ask for your support as we seek justice. We have retained Greg Anderson and Nick Whitney of AndersonGlenn LLP to represent us. All proceeds raised from this fundraising campaign will help offset the legal costs necessary in taking on the school and our local government. To the extent funds raised exceed our legal costs, we will make a donation to a charity or non-profit advocating for special needs children.

October is Downs Syndrome Awareness Month and we humbly ask for your help in supporting our case to end the tyranny of the Brevard County School Board. This madness must stop and the school must be held accountable for its abusive actions. On behalf of Sofia and all special needs children, especially those with Downs Syndrome, we are grateful for your support and prayers.
 

UPDATES

Reaching a Settlement
November 27, 2023
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Our family and legal team would like to thank all supporters in the general public for your gracious support for this cause and the prayers you offered. After the rulings in federal court and summary jurisdiction moved to State Court, the parties have agreed to a settlement. This settlement will need to be approved by the court and once it is completed we will put this portion of the case behind us and move to further healing. 

With much thanks for each of you, for standing with us in a long fought two-year legal battle for our daughter.

Respectfully, 

Dr Jeffrey Steel, PhD

Update #13 Imminent State Filing
August 24, 2023
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Good day friends and supporters! 

Thank you for continuing to follow our case for Sofia’s Rights and the rights of all disabled children. Also upholding the God-given rights of parents with their children. We are now on the eve of our filing in State Court with the remaining claims of our case after the Federal Judge kicked it to State Court. I should note once again that the core of our case remained after Summary Judgment and Reconsideration of Summary Judgement in Federal Court. Including two heavy claims of battery and neglect as well as defamation that remains open. You all will remember the terrible public treatment that we experienced in the public media and on social media. We endured it all in silence knowing this was about what we feel was abusive acts towards our daughter by tying a mask to her face every day for six weeks that was saturated and filthy. 

Sofia developed growths on the back of her throat and we just learned through a sleep apnea test that she experienced an obstructive apnea during sleep where her oxygen saturation levels dropped as low as 82%. These are dangerous levels. She is being scheduled for imminent surgery to have the growths removed. Please pray for her and us. It is difficult to sleep well knowing that she stops breathing sometimes in the night. Hopefully this will get resolved soon. 

As we hear in the news new discussions about mask mandates, this nightmare returns and we are reminded of how awful our daughter was treated. We pray that no other child, especially non-verbal special needs children will suffer what Sofia endured. However, the School Board has yet to rectify this situation and we will likely have to wait until a trial to get a judgment. On behalf of Sofia, I thank you for praying for her and supporting her cause in Federal Court and now into State Court. Any legal/medical funds raised that are not used we intend to donate to a special needs charity that supports children in active sport. Thank you for your support! 

God bless all of you and all your families! 

Jeffrey Steel, PhD

Update #12
August 5, 2023
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Dear Friends! We want you to know that we are now more determined than ever to bring this case to State Court for the simple fact that Sofia deserves her day in court and her case to be heard. After Summary Judgment and Reconsideration, the fact that the Federal Judge kept in tact the core of our case is promising as we head into trial. It’s not going to be cheap and we desire for all to be involved. It’s not only about our family but also every special needs child in the State of Florida. It’s also about every parent’s rights to solely determine the education and health of their children. I’ve been making contact with State Reps and I will do my very best for every parent and child to get some robust legislation through with powerful right of action attached. But for right now we need to prepare for this fight. We learned a lot more through discovery phase of the litigation and it is my plan to hold all accountable for what happened when the Brevard County School Board broke the law. The picture I am adding is the new photo we will formally use to spread the word for our daughter. Please share this page with everyone you know. Like Tom Petty said, “We will stand our ground and no, we won’t back down.” 

God Bless 

Jeffrey Steel, PhD

Update #11
July 26, 2023
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Good day everyone! We are bringing things together for our filing in State Court that will go in next month. Please remember us in your prayers and share this update: 

Dear Friends and Supporters of Sofia’s Rights,

It has been a long couple of years since Sofia stepped off of the school bus with the mask tied to her face. So much has happened since then with a year and a half of litigation in federal court - it has been an emotionally draining experience to say the least. I want to speak generally about what has occurred in federal court that brings us to today. We were ready for trial in June and were excited to finally have our day in court, but on the eve of trial the federal judge made a surprise decision kicking our case to state court, even though all parties agreed that the case should remain in federal court. 

The federal judge declined to keep the case after dismissing several of our federal complaints, but made some favorable findings and left in tact the core of the case - the assault and battery of Sofia and the School Board's negligence in adopting the mask policy. The last-minute ruling forces us to invest in more litigation - now at the state level. We have not wavered in our conviction that Sofia is still entitled to her day in court . It is our plan to move forward with our excellent legal team from Anderson Glenn and adding as Co-Counsel, Jeff Childers of Coffee and Covid. 

So, we are still very much in this fight. It’s worth every penny to get justice for Sofia and prevent similar abuse of other children. We aim to advocate for legislation strengthening parents rights based on our experience so that any school board that denies parents their God-given rights to make educational and health decisions for their children can bring the same fight with more ammunition.

We would like to count on your continued support to raise $100,000 for our continued efforts to allow Sofia’s full story to be heard, and decided by a jury of our peers. Please help out with your prayers and any support you can offer. I thought if just 10,000 people gave $10 each this could be raised in just a few days. So we are counting on all of you who are ready to stand against anyone who stands in the way of parents’ rights and their children. It is our dream to begin a charity using the sport of surfing to rehabilitate sex trafficked children and enhance the lives of special needs children. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Jeffrey Steel, PhD


Update #10
July 13, 2023
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Dear Friends and Supporters of Sofia’s Rights,It has been a long couple of years since Sofia stepped off of the school bus with the mask tied to her face. So much has happened since then with a year and a half of litigation in federal court - it has been an emotionally draining experience to say the least. I want to speak generally about what has occurred in federal court that brings us to today. We were ready for trial in June and were excited to finally have our day in court, but on the eve of trial the federal judge made a surprise decision kicking our case to state court, even though all parties agreed that the case should remain in federal court. 

The federal judge declined to keep the case after dismissing several of our federal complaints, but made some favorable findings and left in tact the core of the case - the assault and battery of Sofia and the School Board's negligence in adopting the mask policy. The last-minute ruling forces us to invest in more litigation - now at the state level. We have not wavered in our conviction that Sofia is still entitled to her day in court . It is our plan to move forward with our excellent legal team from Anderson Glenn and adding as Co-Counsel, Jeff Childers of Coffee and Covid. 

So, we are still very much in this fight. It’s worth every penny to get justice for Sofia and prevent similar abuse of other children. We aim to advocate for legislation strengthening parents rights based on our experience so that any school board that denies parents their God-given rights to make educational and health decisions for their children can bring the same fight with more ammunition.

We would like to count on your continued support to raise $100,000 for our continued efforts to allow Sofia’s full story to be heard, and decided by a jury of our peers. Please help out with your prayers and any support you can offer. I thought if just 10,000 people gave $10 each this could be raised in just a few days. So we are counting on all of you who are ready to stand against anyone who stands in the way of parents’ rights and their children. It is our dream to begin a charity using the sport of surfing to rehabilitate sex trafficked children and enhance the lives of special needs children. Thank you!


Sincerely 


Jeffrey Steel, PhD

Update #9 Nearing the End
May 15, 2023
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Dear Friends and Supporters,

We are writing to update all of you on our Federal lawsuit regarding Sofia’s forced masking. First of all, we could not have made it this far if it were not for our faith in God and His unconditional love for our family, especially our daughter Sofia. We have depended upon God’s grace to get us through so much. Just as you would, we entered this righteous fight simply to defend her and prevent this from happening to any other kid. We never dreamed that fighting for her would draw out what feels like hatred and disdain for us as parents. Yet, we live in this day and we trust God to see us through it all though it’s often very tough. To update you all, we have survived numerous attacks by the defense through Motions for Summary Judgement. We pray that several complaints that we feel were wrongly dismissed due to an administrative concern will be returned to us, much like the Perez family found an unlikely savior in the US Supreme Court (a 9-0 ruling). We await the Court’s decision in prayer and faith. We’ve never forgotten that this case is not about us, but Sofia. As we are now actively preparing for trial in June, we come to you again to ask for your prayers. We are often grateful for your support. Due to fears of further retaliation as a result of this case, we have quietly left our home and moved our family into a new location where we can rebuild our lives in peace once this is over. Thank you for your prayers and thank you for your generous support that helped us to arrive at this place. 

With love and thanks. 

 Jeffrey

Update #8
March 23, 2023
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Lessons in Trust

Sometimes it’s the 11th hour and the totally unexpected happens when you are doing the right thing. People who seek to destroy you and think they are fighting against you are actually fighting against God. Then God puts a gift in your lap where he says keep going, I got this. Trust me. It’s scary sometimes when you have to dig deep for the integrity check to stand up to some who have and seek power and control and use it to hurt others. God looks after the innocent and protects those who defend them. We must keep focus even though in these types of battles the light is sometimes manipulated and deflected in order to be taken off the wrongdoers and put on the innocent. When the test of the truth is out for all to see, God silences the ignorant and foolish people who seek destruction of the innocent. 

Our sole aim in this legal fight is Justice for our daughter, precedent for all special needs children so that they have an avenue for justice, a decision that teaches the lesson of serious consequences if rights of the disabled and parents are ignored and trampled upon, and the clearing of our good name. Whatever the outcome, I go home look at my child in the eyes and myself in the mirror knowing my integrity is intact and we did the right and good thing. That’s already a win! 

1 Peter 2:15 “For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people “

 And The Lord always finds a way… when you least expect it. But we should know and trust. 😊 we are weak but he is strong. Seems I’ve heard that before. 😉 And so, trusting, we shall soldier on!!

Thank you for your support and prayers. Trial is just a couple of months away. Please Pray for us! 

Update #7
March 16, 2023
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To all supporters of our daughter Sofia who have been so gracious to us during the most challenging 18 plus months of our lives. We are grateful for all the prayers and financial support you all have offered for justice for Sofia. We have survived Summary Judgment in parts and a jury will soon hear the evidence on the battery of our daughter and the defamation of School Board member Jennifer Jenkins on her School Board social media accounts about our family. There are a few motions out for reconsideration but trial date is set for the end of June 2023. To protect our minor daughter the Summary Judgment Order is sealed as well as motions for reconsideration and not available to the public. Punitive damages and individual culpability remained on the table with a denial of Qualified Immunity for deliberate acts. The jury will weigh all the evidence on these. 

We are looking to meet our financial goal before trial that would provide the legal cushion we need to take the truth and facts of this case as high and far as needed. It is our prayer to raise another $50,000-$100,000 as soon as possible. This case will affect many Special Needs children in Brevard and around the country. On behalf of our daughter Sofia and all of them, thank you for your continued support as we go to trial and fight on her behalf. 


Respectfully and Gratefully, 


Jeffrey and Shirley Steel

Update #6
October 2, 2022
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Hello All supporters for Sofía. October is Downs Syndrome Awareness month. On October 7th 2022, we reach the one year mark since we found Sofia stepping off her school bus with a mask tied to her face without our knowledge or consent. We have been in litigation since we filed in early December 2021. We have survived numerous motions for dismissal and a stay on Discovery. There are a couple of important motions before the Federal Judge that we await the Court’s decision. Please understand that during these procedures there has been no factual denial of the facts of this case, but the parties have admitted to doing what we claimed in public statements and this is supported by all public documents including the criminal investigation and other court documents that are in the public domain. Of course, there are details of facts and things I’m not able to disclose, but at some point we look forward to the public learning the TRUTH, including the terrible defamation we have endured as a result. Those involved with public libel and defamation of our characters will also be held accountable. 

We are in this battle for justice for Sofia and us as her parents until the very end, going as far and high as we need to go to get the justice our Sofia deserves. We are so grateful for all who have supported us in this case and we pray that our fight for her and all Special Needs children is blessed by God. Please continue to pray for us and if you are able to share this and offer further financial assistance for our legal expenses and medical we would be eternally grateful. 

God bless all who read this with the sincere love and gratitude to God behind these words. 

Respectfully, 

The Steels

Update #5
April 23, 2022
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We wanted to let everyone know that we continue our legal battle for Sofia and all is progressing in Federal Court. We ask that you continue to pray for us, especially as lies and defamation continue. We intend to address all of it legally. If you would please pray and continue to support and let others know we remain in this fight four our daughter and ALL special needs children around the country. Those who usurp parental rights and those rights of disabled children must be held accountable. May God grant us victory in this battle! 

Update #4
April 23, 2022
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We wanted to let everyone know that we continue our legal battle for Sofia and all is progressing in Federal Court. We ask that you continue to pray for us, especially as lies and defamation continue. We intend to address all of it legally. If you would please pray and continue to support and let others know we remain in this fight four our daughter and ALL special needs children around the country. Those who usurp parental rights and those rights of disabled children must be held accountable. May God grant us victory in this battle! 

Update #2
January 17, 2022
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 Comfort from your prayers! 

Reading through your prayers today have brought us comfort to have such loving and faith-filled support. We could never do this without your support! Just wanted to thank you all! 

Our case is underway and we ask that you continue to support us through your prayers and we thank all of you for your generosity. 


In Christ, The Steels

Update #2
January 16, 2022
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 Comfort from your prayers! 

Reading through your prayers today have brought us comfort to have such loving and faith-filled support. We could never do this without your support! Just wanted to thank you all! 

Our case is underway and we ask that you continue to support us through your prayers and we thank all of you for your generosity. 


In Christ, The Steels

Attorney Press Release
December 26, 2021
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The complain is filed in Federal Court. All donations for this fight are appreciated. Thank you 🙏 
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PRESS RELEASE
 
Indian Harbour Beach, Florida
December 4, 2021

On Friday, Jeffrey and Shirley Bezerra Steel, represented by AndersonGlenn LLP, filed a civil lawsuit in federal court seeking to vindicate their constitutional rights and those of their daughter, Sofia. Many Floridians have rallied behind a call of "Justice for Sofia", and the family's attorneys are hopeful that the civil lawsuit brings justice one step closer.

Sofia is a non-verbal, 7-year-old girl with Down's Syndrome who attended Ocean Breeze Elementary, a Brevard County public school. Outrageously, teachers at Ocean Breeze tied a mask to Sofia Bezerra's face for several weeks without her parents' knowledge or consent.

One afternoon during the school district's forced masking of Sofia, her parents were called to Ocean Breeze to pick-up Sofia early because she had vomited. When Shirley Bezerra arrived to pick up her daughter, no one at the school mentioned that Sofia had been masked, even when pressed by Sofia's mother for an explanation regarding why Sofia would have vomited in class. The school removed the mask from Sofia's face before Ms. Bezerra arrived and concealed their actions.

Sofia exhibited other signs of severe distress during the months she was secretly masked at Ocean Breeze. Previously potty-trained, Sofia began having accidents at school that left her parents puzzled. Why was Sofia regressing? Why only at school?

During a criminal investigation conducted by the Indian Harbour Police Department, Sofia's teachers admitted that they had tied a mask to Sofia's face for weeks. The school principal further admitted that they did not seek Sofia's parents' consent at any time. Sofia's teachers failed to disclose to the detective investigating child abuse that Sofia had vomited and had frequent accidents at school while masked, instead offering a sanitized version of Sofia's school experience showing Sofia allegedly smiling behind her mask. The family requested copies of the photos and videos taken by Ocean Breeze of Sofia during the months of forced masking, but Brevard Public Schools and Ocean Breeze have ignored the family's requests and have withheld the photos and videos.

Gregory A. Anderson and Nick Whitney of AndersonGlenn LLP, who represent Sofia and her parents, point out that the school has refused to turn over multiple witness statements and other information collected during the school district's internal investigation. A demand letter to the school district went unanswered, and no one from the school district has ever reached out to the Steels to apologize for the school's behavior.

Rather, Superintendent Mark Mullins and the Brevard County School Board members, who voted to continue with a forced masking policy even after Florida instituted a Department of Health rule requiring masking to occur only at a parent's sole discretion, have remained defiant and attacked the family publicly.

Sadly, school systems throughout Florida have decided that they know best and that parents do not deserve a say in the medical and educational decisions of their children. Like Sofia's family, the Littlejohn family in Leon County learned recently that school officials feel empowered to act in secret and hide their actions from parents. Earlier this month, AndersonGlenn LLP succeeded in forcing the Duval County School Board to reverse their policy of forced masking in violation of Florida law. In November, a Court ordered the Alachua County School Board to abandon its mask mandate and comply with Florida law. Alachua officials then protested that their hands had been tied by the Court. Spurred on by lawless School Board members, Sofia's teachers felt it unnecessary to share with Sofia's parents that they were tying a mask to her face and causing her physical and emotional distress.

Nick Whitney, Esq.
AndersonGlenn LLP

PRAYER REQUESTS

  • Pray for all special needs children who can’t defend themselves
  • Pray for our attorneys and that they will find success and God’s blessings
  • Pray for us for strength as we fight for the dignity and rights of our daughter