YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. "She said she didn't have the authority to do anything," Hoffmeyer said in reference to a conversation he had with the Ganiard Elementary School principal. The racial undertones make it worse, but honestly, why would you ever cut any kids hair without asking the parents?. Two days later after complaining to the principal and having Jurnees hair styled at a salon with an asymmetrical cut to make the differing lengths less obvious Jurnee arrived home with the hair on the other side cut. All rights reserved (About Us). Jimmy Hoffmeyer, who is Black and white, said that in March his daughter Jurnee arrived home from Ganiard Elementary with much of the hair on one side of her head cut. Other schools have drawn unwanted attention for policing the hairstyles of students of color. Margaret Gieszinger, 52, a chemistry teacher in California, was caught on camera forcibly cutting a students hair and throwing it behind her while singing the national anthem. The suit named Mount Pleasant Public Schools, librarian Furthermore, the schools hair regulations may be in violation of the students equal protection rights because they may be based on a personal preference (such as the students hair length) rather than a legitimate educational interest. The reprimands were to go in the employees files. The district is located about 150 miles (241 kilometers) northwest of Detroit. The teacher cut her hair to even it out.". The girl who cut Jurnees hair is white. 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. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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. Christina Laster, an advocate for the Hoffmeyer family and the policy and legislation director for the National Parents Union, said the employees intent shouldnt matter. Jimmy Hoffmeyer, who is Black and white, said in March that a classmate used scissors to cut one side of his daughter's hair. "We will aggressively defend against these baseless allegations in court and will not allow this to distract us from our mission to provide every child a world-class education that prepares them for college and careers.". The incident occurred in March when seven-year-old Jurnee Hoffmeyer arrived home from school with the hair on one side of her head cut off. And she said not identifying racial bias as a factor that contributed to the haircut means the district is missing chances to stamp out racism. Verified account Protected Tweets @; Suggested users Mount Pleasant Public Schools full statement is below: At Mt. 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. Please enter valid email address to continue. "I asked what happened and said 'I thought I told you no child should ever cut your hair.' On Friday school board officials claimed: Its clear from the third-party investigation and the districts own internal investigation that MPPS employees had good intentions when performing the haircut. ", "Our kind of hair, you can't just wet down and cut it because and that's when I feel like they should have, even if they were trying to do it in the kindest of their heart, once they seen the outcome, they should have been like, yeah we messed up," he told ABC12. The school district where a staff member cut the curly hair of a biracial 7-year-old student this spring said Friday that an independent, third-party investigation found no evidence the incident was motivated by racial bias.. He said he was told the school would talk to the parents of the classmate involved in the first haircut and that a note would be placed in the teacher's work file. The library employee cut Jurnees hair on March 26, without obtaining permission from the Jurnees parents or consulting with school administrators. Big Lew arrived at the boys house to get his mobile barber business working. 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. Jimmy Hoffmeyer on Tuesday, Sept. 14, filed his federal lawsuit on behalf of daughter Jurnee Hoffmeyer in the Western District of Michigan. The Crown Act (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act) has been referred to the Senate. Jurnee Hoffmeyer. She now attends another school. In this conversation. Treat our children as you would treat your very own is the way to offer care, Laster wrote. Two other employees were aware of the incident but did not report it and have been officially reprimanded. 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. 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. Oh, hell NO!! 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. The teacher had been cutting the boys hair without permission from his parents. She said but dad, it was the teacher. The teacher cut her hair to even it out.. Who did they talk to? Mr Hoffmeyer asked on Friday when the results of the investigation were announced. The staffer was accused of performing a modern-day scalping by a parents group, but school district officials in Michigan announced that after a third-party investigation into the incident, the librarian did not act with racial bias and therefore will keep her job. All rights reserved (About Us). The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in federal court in Grand Rapids against Mount Pleasant Public Schools, MLive.com reported. After allegedly pressuring a student into getting a haircut, a California teacher was fired and charged with six misdemeanor counts of child cruelty. Cutting a students hair on school grounds either with or without parent permission is a clear violation of school policy. A teacher in Michigan is accused of cutting off a students hair because of his biracial skin. A teacher who cut a students hair is a very bad teacher. She said but dad, it was the teacher. The teacher cut her hair to even it out, he added further., Jimmy said he informed the principal of the school, but he wasnt pleased with the explanation he got., Months later, Jurnees father is filing a $1 Million lawsuit against the school district and two staff members who were involved in cutting his daughters hair., Jimmy, who is Black, has reportedly spoken about alleged racial discrimination against his daughter in the lawsuit., According to MLive.com, the lawsuit states that 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., However, an investigation by the school district in July concluded that the teacher had not acted with racial bias, according to BBC.. 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. Mr Hoffmeyer told the Associated Press that neither he nor his daughter were questioned as part of the investigation. The best degree for an elementary school teacher is a bachelors degree in elementary education. Th investigation found no racial bias, the school board said. Regardless, their decisions and actions are unacceptable and show a major lack of judgement. She said she didnt have the authority to do anything, he added. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. The Mount Pleasant Public Schools board commissioned an independent third-party investigation into why a library staff member cut 7-year-old Jurnee Hoffmeyers hair at school on March 26. Here's why. In the complaint, neither of those two school employees is identified by their first names. The teacher was immediately suspended and is currently under investigation. 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 Amy Bond, Mount Pleasant Public Schools Board of Education president, said Thursday that the district has not received the complaint. Piper also wrote her clients were entitled to qualified immunity. She was crying, Hoffmeyer said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 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 school board, on the other hand, has determined that jurors hair was not cut to coincide with her race. About 4 percent of Mount Pleasants 25,000 residents are Black, according to the U.S. Census. The parent of Jurnee Hoffmeyer, a 7-year-old girl whose hair was cut by a school librarian, has sued the Michigan school district for $1 million. Hoffmeyer said the girl who cut Jurnee's hair and the teacher who cut it are white. Some private schools may have a dress code or code of conduct that includes stipulations about hair length for students, while others may not. 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. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. After the haircutting incident, Hoffmeyer removed Jurnee from Ganiard and enrolled her in another school. 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. According to Hoffmeyer, her library teacher, Ms. Moggs, assisted and/or agreed with another teachers assistant, Ms. Jacobs, who allegedly cut Jurnees hair with scissors. Father sues school district for $1 million after staff cut daughters hair, tweeted another. Jurnee was removed from the school by her father and now attends classes elsewhere. 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. 91.3 Port Huron 89.7 Lansing 91.1 Flint. But Hoffmeyer said the district never questioned him or Jurnee. In addition, Superintendent Verleger has recommended and the Board has accepted written reprimands for two additional MPPS employees who were aware of the incident but did not alert the students parents or the Administration.. "Father sues school district for $1 million after staff cut daughter's hair. "She kept asking me what she could do to make it go away.". Mr Hoffmeyer took his daughter to a barber, who gave her an asymmetric haircut to help even out her hair. 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. It alleges that the biracial girl's constitutional rights were violated, racial discrimination, ethnic intimidation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and assault and battery. In the spirit of transparency, we are presenting the key findings from this investigation and resulting discipline as recommended by Superintendent Jennifer Verleger with support from the school board. The dad took issue with the response, countering by asking what the school was planning to do with the staffer who cut his daughters hair, Bradley said. The employees involved have acknowledged their wrong actions and apologised.. Jimmy Hoffmeyer said a teacher cut his 7-year-old daughters hair without his permission. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. The father of a 7-year-old Michigan girl whose hair was cut in school without her parents' consent has filed a $1 million lawsuit against the school district, a librarian and a teacher's assistant. A 12-year-old Minnesota boy walked home from school without his afro. Jurnee Hoffmeyer, 7, arrived home from a Michigan school last month with a haircut from a classmate on the school bus and, later, another from her teacher. The student was horrified and ran out of the classroom in tears. The two employees who knew about the haircut but did not report it will have written reprimands placed in their files, the board said. Jurnee's mother is white. Following the incident, Hoffmeyer is appealing for justice for his daughters hair cut at school. 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. "After that teacher cut her hair, she was so embarrassed. Michigan is one of the states considering a CROWN Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act to protect women and girls who are frequently discriminated against for wearing natural hair. The district did not specify how long the agreement would last. Hoffmeyer said the explanations he has received from the principal and the district have done little to appease him. That probe included conducting interviews and reviewing video footage and photographic evidence. But it has nothing to do with White, Black, or Bi-racial. 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. Read more:Department of Civil Rights deeply concerned about Mount Pleasant girls haircut by school stafferMichigan school district says girl, 7, asked to have her hair cutMichigan girls haircut by school staffer modern-day scalping, says National Parents Union. Jurnee, seen here at age 7, is biracial. The board added that the third-party inquiry was performed in addition to an internal review by the school districts administration. He added that he also received a call from the school district's superintendent about a week later offering to have "I'm sorry" cards mailed to the family but "got mad and hung up" on the call. Jimmy Hoffmeyer said his biracial daughter came home on March 24 with much of the hair on one side cut after another child grabbed on a pair of scissors. It's clear from the third-party investigation and the districts own internal investigation that MPPS employees had good intentions when performing the haircut. This undated photo provided by Jimmy Hoffmeyer shows his daughter Jurnee Hoffmeyer, 7, after a classmate and a teacher cut her hair on separate occasions. We will aggressively defend against these baseless allegations in court and will not allow this to distract us from our mission to provide every child a world-class education that prepares them for college and careers.. Later, the schools principal told him the most that could happen to the library teacher was a note in her work file, Hoffmeyer said. 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. She told her father, Jimmy Hoffmeyer that another student had cut her hair on the school bus with scissors taken from the classroom. This degree will give you the knowledge and skills you need to be an effective elementary school teacher. Because of this, the distinction between military schools and army students is known as their distinctiveness and uniqueness.. All three employees have apologized, the board said. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). It is unclear what will happen to her, but many are calling for her to be fired. Jurnee Hoffmeyer on March 24 arrived home from Ganiard Elementary School, 101 S. Adams St., with the hair on one The father of a 7-year-old Michigan girl whose hair was cut by a teacher without her parents permission has filed a Regardless of their good intentions, these actions are unacceptable and show a lack of judgement on the part of our two employees, Verleger wrote. Legal Statement. The local school board has deemed Jimmys allegations as baseless and have claimed that they would aggressively defend them in court., Jurnees father first made headlines in March after revealing that a teacher from his daughters school, Ganiard Elementary, had cut her hair without parental permission., He told The Associated Press in April that Jurnee arrived home from school with hair on one side cut. This usually includes guidelines about appropriate hair styles. "I've pretty much grown up with only white people, myself. Did they really do an investigation?. Jimmy Hoffmeyer seeks $1 million from Mount Pleasant Public Schools, alleging it violated his biracial daughters constitutional rights. Two days before the recent settlement conference, defense counsel filed a motion seeking the cases dismissal. In a statement released late Tuesday, District Superintendent Jennifer Verleger confirmed Hoffmeyers story, adding the childs teacher was aware of the library employees plan to cut the students hair. A Michigan father has moved his 7-year-old biracial daughter from one school to another after the child's hair was cut on separate occasions by a classmate and a teacher. WRSX 91.3 Port Huron is off the air due to network issues. Margaret Gieszinger, a 53-year-old science and chemistry teacher, was arrested on Wednesday in Santa Clara. Jurnee Hoffmeyer, who is biracial, is pictured before the unapproved haircuts took place. 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. Huffpost untangles the complex history of black hair, Baseball legend Jackie Robinson's name misspelled as "Jakie" on road sign, Serena Williams honored at NAACP Image Awards, City, family reach $2 million settlement in Florida fatal police shooting, How these 3 hashtags from Black Twitter changed America. 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