Sixth-Grade Boys Pin Down Girl, Cut Her Dreadlocks During Recess: Family

The family of a sixth-grade girl at a private school in Fairfax, Virginia is demanding justice after a group of three boys allegedly pinned their daughter down during recess and cut her dreadlocks. The incident reportedly happened on Monday (September 23), but Amari Allen was too scared to tell her teachers or her family. She felt that her teachers at Immanuel Christian School wouldn't take her seriously and that the boys would retaliate if they were punished.

It wasn't until two days later when her grandmother noticed that some of her dreadlocks were a different length that she told them what happened.

"Then she started breaking down crying, trembling, and shaking before telling us what happened," Amari's grandmother Cynthia told WUSA-TV.

She explained how the boys grabbed her a few minutes before recess and held her down while they used scissors to cut off some of her dreadlocks.

"They kept laughing and calling me names," Amari said. "They called me 'ugly,' said, 'I shouldn't have been born.' They called me 'an attention-seeker.'"

The attack lasted nearly five minutes and the three boys ran back inside once recess was over. 

This was not the first time boys have bullied Amari. She said they constantly call her names and have even stolen her lunch. 

The school issued a statement saying they are taking the allegations seriously and have referred the case to the police.

"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. 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."

Amari's family wants to see the three boys removed from the school. Amari's mother says that if the school will not punish the boys and ensure that her daughter is safe, she will find another school.

"Amari is surviving, but this can't happen again," Cynthia said. "She is terrified, she has not been able to sleep. And she is strong. I can't imagine if this happened to somebody else."