A 2-Year-Old Girl Declined by a School Just Because of how She Looks

We’re living in the 21 century, and education systems should not be stopping a child get into them for any reason, let along with one that’s as outrageous as the one that Sofya Zakharova was declined for. 

Sofya is a 2-year-old girl from Russia, and she has deformities on her skull. Sofya’s parents were trying to get her into a local school, but she was declined because as they said from the school, her school might scare other children.

The family is located in a Russian village named Alatany, it is situated in the Bashkortostan region. Sofya, Rasul, her dad, her mom, and both pairs of grandparents all live under the same roof. 

The 2-year-old was born with a rare deformity on her skull, fingers, and her toes which are fused together. And, her parents were told that in order for their daughter to get into the school, she should get surgery first. The official answer from the school was that she might scare other children because of the way she looks. 

Ekaterina Belan, an educational psychologist from “The Metro,” stated that the young girl should start school as soon as possible. Because of her condition, it would be best that she starts school sooner, the sooner, the better. Ekaterina continued to explain that she would cope easier with her condition if she starts social interactions sooner. 

The conditions that Sofya and her family live, aren’t all that good either. The apartment where they live doesn’t have any water nor heating because of the fact that their stove is broken, and they have been disconnected from the gas line.

Charities are Showing Interests in Sofya’s Case

Sofya’s grandfather, Sergei Mikhailov, said that the school was catastrophic for declining her because of her looks. 

Not too long after the whole ordeal, a local charity “Rainbow of Goodness” decided to take Sofya’s case. And even after that, the school still refused to take Sofya in as Metro newspaper puts it. Sofya’s mother is frustrated with the fact that they first needed to arrange an operation in order to educate their child. 

Currently, there are prosecutors taking a look into this case. They are trying to find out why Sofya hasn’t gone to surgery and what the reason behind the school’s decline is.

The main man in the Republic of Bashkortostan, Radiy Khabirov, stated that without the charity Sofya’s case would’ve gone unnoticed. He continued to speak and said that he is certain that the kid’s and the family’s rights have been violated and that a legal assessment is due. 

If you want to find out more about Sofya’s story, take a look at this video:

Nobody should be declined from school just because of the way they look. It’s certain that Sofya’s rights were violated and we’re happy that they noticed her case. Share this story and raise awareness of kids like Sofya who are getting declined by the school just because of the way they look, talk, and behave. Don’t forget to comment on your thoughts in the comment section below.