It alleges that the biracial girl's constitutional rights were violated, racial discrimination, ethnic intimidation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and assault and battery. When asked, she said a classmate used scissors to chop her hair off on the bus., However, two days later, Jurnee arrived home with her hair on the other side cut as well and told her father that her teacher did it., Jimmy told at the time: She was crying. As your Board, we have made every effort to address this matter with the seriousness and care it deserves and with the transparency our community expects. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Quit with that crap., Another wrote, I literally had palpitations just reading the headline. Jimmy Hoffmeyer / AP. District administrators also performed an internal review of the incident. Later, the schools principal told him the most that could happen to the library teacher was a note in her work file, Hoffmeyer said. A Michigan father has moved his 7-year-old biracial daughter from one school to another after the childs hair was cut on separate occasions by a classmate and a teacher. In July, the Mount Pleasant Public Schools Board of Education said the staffer who cut Jurnees hair was reprimanded and an independent third-party investigation determined that despite good intentions of the worker who cut the girls hair, doing so without permission from her parents and without the knowledge of district administrators violated school policy. "She kept asking me what she could do to make it go away.". After allegedly pressuring a student into getting a haircut, a California teacher was fired and charged with six misdemeanor counts of child cruelty. MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. The father of a 7-year-old Michigan girl whose hair was cut by a teacher without her parents permission has filed a $1 million She said a classmate used scissors to cut her hair on a school bus, Hoffmeyer told The Associated Press in April. To achieve our mission of providing a world-class education to all MPPS students, we must continuously strive to improve and acknowledge when we have not lived up to our own high standards., Father of girl, 7, who had hair cut off by school staffer files $1 million lawsuit alleging racial discrimination, Even as local efforts increase, hair discrimination is still legal in Michigan, Department of Civil Rights deeply concerned about Mount Pleasant girls haircut by school staffer, Michigan school district says girl, 7, asked to have her hair cut, Michigan girls haircut by school staffer modern-day scalping, says National Parents Union. Jimmy Hoffmeyer said Monday he also is considering taking his daughter, Jurnee, out of Mount Pleasant Public Schools and enrolling her in a private school. The reprimands were to go in the employees files. Jurnees mother is white. MLive.com reports that the lawsuit was filed Tuesday in federal court in Grand Rapids against Mount Pleasant Public Schools. After a fellow student cut her head off on the bus on March 24, she returned home with one side of her head cropped open. The employee who cut Hoffmeyers hair acted with good intentions, as did two other district employees who were aware of the haircut but did not alert Hoffmeyers parents or the school district, the board said in a statement emailed Friday. If a teacher cuts a students hair without permission, it could be considered assault and the teacher could be fired. "I asked what happened and said 'I thought I told you no child should ever cut your hair.' Now, the Mount Librarian On Last Chance Agreement After Cutting Students Hai The librarian who cut Jurnee Hoffmeyers hair was reprimanded by the Board of Education, who agreed to place her on a last chance agreement, in which she would almost certainly be fired if she violates it again in the future. The school board, on the other hand, has determined that jurors hair was not cut to coincide with her race. It is best to check with the school directly to inquire about their policies regarding hair length for students. That librarian is now a named defendant in a $1 million civil rights lawsuit filed by the girls father. Jimmy Hoffmeyer of Michigan filed the case on behalf of his daughter Jurnee Hoffmeyer. The lawsuit claims that the librarian, along with the school district and a teachers assistant, violated Jurnees civil rights. We truly appreciate the support and patience by our students, staff and families while an independent, third-party investigation was conducted regarding an incident at Ganiard Elementary School, the Mount Pleasant Public Schools Board of Education said in a statement on Friday, MLive reports. Hoffmeyer said he filed an incident report with the Mount Pleasant police, but as of Monday no officer had contacted him to follow up on the complaint. On video, the teacher can be seen cutting the hair of a student seated in the front row of a classroom at University Preparatory High School in California. Please enter valid email address to continue. The union has called on the school to issue a formal apology to the family "for violating their rights and cutting Jurnee's hair without parental advisement or consent" and "formal consequences to the educators and staff who decided to act without parental permission, guidance or consent.". I would of lost my freaking mind. The school called after the bus incident and said the little girl stole the scissors off the teachers desk, and they were going to talk to the parents and deal with it accordingly, he said. All rights reserved (About Us). Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Here's why. 7-year-old Michigan girl whose hair was cut by a teacher, the Mount Pleasant Public Schools Board of Education said, Mom objects when 4-year-old son not allowed to wear braids at school, Many Ethnicities founder creates products for different hair types and textures. In an interview with the Associated Press, Mount Pleasant father Jimmy Hoffmeyer said his daughter Jurnee arrived home from school on March 24 with the hair on one side of her head cut off. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. The incident occurred just after the boy returned home from school; his parents were made aware of it when he returned home. In thelawsuit, filed Tuesday in federal court in Grand Rapids against Mount Pleasant Public Schools, Jimmy Hoffmeyer alleges his biracial daughter's constitutional rights were violated. But the district did not say who performed the independent investigation, and Laster said neither Jurnee nor her parents had been contacted by independent investigators. Jurnee Hoffmeyer, 7, arrived home from a Michigan school last month with an unwanted haircut from her teacher, sparking outrage from her father and the community alike. Laster said failing to speak with the Hoffmeyer family means investigators have an incomplete picture of what motivated the haircut and how it affected Jurnee. Verleger added that she has personally apologized to the students family. Hoffmeyer says the classmate and the teacher are white. I got mad and hung up, said Hoffmeyer who is Black and white. He is also suing for racial discrimination, ethnic intimidation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and assault and battery. The father said he found the explanations he has received from the school principal and the Mount Pleasant Public Schools District disappointing. This teacher should be fired immediately. On March 24, Jurnee arrived home from Ganiard Elementary with much of the hair on one side cut. Th investigation found no racial bias, the school board said. A teacher who cut a students hair is a very bad teacher. Hoffmeyer said he received a call from the districts superintendent about a week later after the schools spring break. Khristopher J. Brooks is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering business, consumer and financial stories that range from economic inequality and housing issues to bankruptcies and the business of sports. As your Board, we have made every effort to address this matter with the seriousness and care it deserves and with the transparency our community expects, the board said. If you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566. Oh, hell NO!! However, there are no specific rules about teachers cutting students hair. Defendants involved in Massachusetts standoff in court, 911 callers urge help for hockey player killed by fireworks, Lawsuit: Man who sparked treasure hunt retrieved own loot, Chicago police chief, U.S. attorney resign after Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses reelection. In 2018, a New Jersey high school student wasforced to cut off his dreadlocksto compete in a wrestling match. These written reprimands will go into the employees respective files. She was crying, Hoffmeyer said. The board added that the third-party inquiry was performed in addition to an internal review by the school districts administration. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. The district failed to properly train, monitor, direct, discipline, and supervise their employees, and knew or should have known that the employees would engage in the complained of behavior given the improper training, customs, procedures, and policies, and the lack of discipline that existed for employees, according to the lawsuit. With the investigation concluded, we can now move forward together as one MPPS family and community dedicated to helping all students achieve and succeed. Following the incident, Hoffmeyer is appealing for justice for his daughters hair cut at school. LANSING, MI The Michigan Department of Civil Rights has taken notice of a recent incident involving a Mount Pleasant schoolgirl having her hair cut by a fellow student and then by a staff member, incidents that have garnered public outcry. The father of a 7-year-old Michigan girl whose hair was cut by a teacher without her parents permission has filed a The teacher who cut it also is white, said Hoffmeyer who has two other daughters, ages 8 and 4. Our main purpose with the independent investigation has been to bring the facts to light, learn from this incident and make our district even stronger, the board wrote. If you look at pictures of her before this happened, you can just see her spark and her energy. Jurnee Hoffmeyer. Jimmy Hoffmeyer / AP MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. The father of a 7-year-old Michigan girl whose hair was cut by a teacher without her parents permission has filed a $1 million lawsuit against the school district, a librarian and a teachers assistant. Jimmy Hoffmeyer said his daughters constitutional rights were violated., He is reportedly suing the school district and two staff members. We truly appreciate the support and patience by our students, staff and families while an independent, third-party investigation was conducted regarding an incident at Ganiard Elementary School. People can still act on racial bias even with the best intentions, Laster said. Im not one to try to make things about race, he said. To achieve our mission of providing a world-class education to all MPPS students, we must continuously strive to improve and acknowledge when we have not lived up to our own high standards. The district is located about 150 miles (241 kilometers) northwest of Detroit. She now attends another school. Two days later, Jurnee returned home a second time with nearly all her hair cut off down to a few inches from her scalp. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Parents are upset that they were not informed about the incident and that they are eager for more information. The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. It's clear from the third-party investigation and the districts own internal investigation that MPPS employees had good intentions when performing the haircut. Jurnee Hoffmeyer, 7, after a classmate and a teacher cut her hair on separate occasions. Pleasant Public Schools, we strive each day to ensure our students can learn and achieve in an inclusive, safe environment free from harassment, discrimination, bigotry or intolerance. 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. Jurnees mother is white. Hoffmeyer is working with the National Parents Union, a national network of parent organizations and activists that advocate to improve the quality of life for children. 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