Michigan father transfers biracial daughter, 7, to another school after teacher-student duo cut her hair
A father from Michigan has had to pull his biracial seven-year-old daughter from her school and get her admitted to another one after her hair was cut once by a classmate and then by a teacher. Jimmy Hoffmeyer said her daughter, Jurnee’s hair was cut by another student on March 24. Since it was not looking good, the child was taken to a local hair salon where she was given an asymmetrical hairstyle to hide the chop.
But to the father’s shock, his little girl came home a few days later from school with the other side of her hair cut as well. This second chop was at the hands of a teacher.
“She was crying. She was afraid of getting in trouble for getting her hair cut. I asked what happened and said 'I thought I told you no child should ever cut your hair.’ She said 'but dad, it was the teacher.' The teacher cut her hair to even it out,” Hoffmeyer stated.
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The father also said that after repeated calls to the Mount Pleasant School District, the district's superintendent Jennifer Verleger said that she can write an apology letter to Jurnee. “An apology card to a 7-year-old who is humiliated and has to be around her classmates like this?” he added.
Hoffmeyer went on to say that he did not want to make the incident racial, but noted, “It's hard to come to any decision when you don't have answers to why it was done." The father posted a video about the campaign to get justice for his daughter.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, April 21, the school released a statement, signed by superintendent Verleger, that read, “At Mount Pleasant Public Schools, we strive to ensure all our students can learn and achieve in an inclusive, safe environment free from harassment, discrimination, bigotry or intolerance. We work hard each day to foster a culture of respect, compassion and kindness so all our students, families, staff and visitors feel welcome and supported.”
The statement said that Jurnee “grew unhappy and dissatisfied with the way her hair looked after the other student cut it and asked a school library employee to help fix her hair during a classroom visit to the library” and the staff member “agreed to even out the student's hair to make her feel better.” Jurnee’s hair was reportedly cut by the school staff without taking permission from her parents or consulting with school administrators.
“Regardless of their good intentions, these actions are unacceptable and show a lack of judgment on the part of our two employees. Both employees have admitted their actions and apologized. Both are being reviewed for further disciplinary actions in accordance with our school policies and procedures. I have personally apologized to the family on behalf of the school district,” the statement added.
“I still want to know what justifies a teacher cutting a child's hair without their parents' permission? Any of this could have been resolved with a phone call. She doesn't understand what's wrong with her hair,” Hoffmeyer remarked, who is now working with the National Parent's Union regarding the incident.
The National Parent's Union also issued a statement in reply to the school’s. It stated, “We do not find placing blame on Jurnee Hoffmeyer is the best way to offer remorse and accountability. If this nation is serious about combating and eradicating systemic racism, the way we protect our children from it will be the greatest determining factor.”
Christina Laster, the director of policy and legislation for the National Parents Union, told ABC12: “I believe that the adults in this educational space were more concerned and maybe outspoken about Jurnee's hairstyle and texture than Jurnee. And I believe that perhaps what took place — and based on my communications with the family — what really took place is that children started to adopt that same judgmental mentality about Jurnee's hair, which then turned into this incident that really got out of control quick.”