UPDATE 9/30, 3:00 p.m. ET: The 12-year-old black girl who alleged her white sixth-grade classmates cut off her dreadlocks has recanted her accusation.
Her family and Stephen Danish, the head of Immanuel Christian School confirmed the allegations were false, CBS News reports. The girl, Amari Allen, admitted the accusations were untrue after the local police department opened an investigation into the matter.
“While we are relieved to hear the truth and bring the events of the past few days to a close, we also feel tremendous pain for the victims and the hurt on both sides of this conflict,” Danish said. “We recognize that we now enter what will be a long season of healing.”
Allen's family apologized to the three boys and the school for “the pain and anxiety these allegations have caused.”
“To the administrators and families of Immanuel Christian School, we are sorry for the damage this incident has done to trust within the school family and the undue scorn it has brought to the school,” the family said. “We understand there will be consequences, and we're prepared to take responsibility for them.”
“To the broader community, who rallied in such passionate support for our daughter, we apologize for betraying your trust,” the family added.
See original story below.
Authorities are investigating an alleged assault on a 12-year-old black girl who says her classmates pinned her down and cut off her dreadlocks.
Sixth-grader Amari Allen claims three white male students carried out the attack Monday on the playground at Immanuel Christian School in Springfield, Virginia. Amari told WUSA the three boys had been bullying her for weeks, calling her names and even stealing her lunch.
"Sometimes I think that I don't deserve to be there, at a Christian school and everything, and that I'm ugly," she said with tears in her eyes.
Amari told the outlet that one of the boys had covered her mouth, another held her hands behind her back, while the third pulled out a pair of scissors and began to cut her hair, which they allegedly called "ugly" and "nappy." The young girl said she was too scared to speak up about the bullying until her grandmother, Cynthia Allen, noticed her locs were uneven two days later.
"It's very painful," Cynthia Allen said. "I want to see them dismissed from the school. I want to see something done."
Amari's family pays about $12,000 annually for her to attend the private school, which is also where Karen Pence, the wife of Vice President Mike Pence, teaches. Representatives for Immanuel Christian told WUSA that they are looking into the incident and have contacted local police to conduct an investigation.
"We take seriously the emotional and physical well-being of all our students, and have a zero-tolerance policy for any kind of bullying or abuse," the school said in a statement. "We are deeply disturbed by the allegations being made, and are in communication with the family of the alleged victim to gather information and provide whatever support we can. We have also reached out to law enforcement to ask them to conduct a thorough investigation, and further inquiries should be directed to the Fairfax County Police."
Police have confirmed they are investigating Amari's claims, but have kept details to a minimum because the case involves minors.
