Father sues school district for $1 million after staff cut daughters hair, tweeted another. This teacher should be fired immediately. 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.. 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. Oh, hell NO!! 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. Market data provided by ICE Data Services. We believe a last-chance agreement is appropriate given that the employee has an outstanding record of conduct and has never once been reprimanded in more than 20 years of work at Mount Pleasant Public Schools, the board said. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Both are being reviewed for further disciplinary actions in accordance without school policies and procedures.. 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 Jurnee Hoffmeyer. This is a complete abuse of power. 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. Some feel that the teacher was justified in her actions, while others feel that she went too far. Mount Pleasant Public Schools full statement is below: At Mt. 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. There could be a few reasons why the teacher cut Jurnees hair. Jimmy Hoffmeyer / AP. All rights reserved (About Us). Jurnees mother is white. "I asked what happened and said 'I thought I told you no child should ever cut your hair.' 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. Because of this, the distinction between military schools and army students is known as their distinctiveness and uniqueness.. Hoffmeyer says the classmate and the teacher are white. The teacher has been placed on administrative leave while the incident is being investigated. The bill would establish legal protections for Black people against discrimination due to hair color. Oh, hell NO!! 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. Now it's like it's just gone.". YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. The students family is now demanding answers from the school district. The act was sponsored by Rep. Sarah Anthony, D-Lansing, and first introduced in 2019, then reintroduced in February 2021. 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. "She said, 'But Dad, it was the teacher.' Here's why. The father of a seven-year-old girl named Jurnee Hoffmeyer is filing a $1 million lawsuit against her previous school over her haircut, which was done without 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.. The suit named Mount Pleasant Public Schools, librarian Jurnee's mother is white. The investigation included interviews with district personnel, students and families, as well as a review of video and photos, including posts on social media, the district said. "We are confident that the facts will prevail given our district's appropriate and aggressive response to the incident and the findings of the third-party investigation that was conducted," Bond said in a statement. 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. All three employees have apologized, the board said. Piper also wrote her clients were entitled to qualified immunity. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 6 Amazon travel essentials for your next getaway, starting at $12. It alleges that the biracial girls constitutional rights were violated, racial discrimination, ethnic intimidation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and assault and battery. Mount Pleasant Public Schools Superintendent Jennifer Verleger said she has personally apologized to the students family. The teacher cut her hair to even it out.". 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. The district is located about 150 miles (241 kilometers) northwest of Detroit. A teacher at a school in Georgia was caught on video cutting a black students hair while he was asleep in class. The teacher was immediately suspended and is currently under investigation. Because she had to go back to class like that," he added. 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. Mr Hoffmeyer told the Associated Press that neither he nor his daughter were questioned as part of the investigation. Now, the Mount A white employee and white administrators being investigated by a nearly all-white school board who hired an unknown independent investigator is not an appropriate lens by which to evaluate this situation. According to the complaint4, Jurnees school has long hair regulations, but it is not clear what those regulations are; however, it is likely that the school has implemented a policy to prevent excessive hair growth. So embarrassed. It's clear from the third-party investigation and the districts own internal investigation that MPPS employees had good intentions when performing the haircut. As a result of the incident and the third-party investigation, our school policies have been clarified to help ensure incidents like this do not happen again. Maybe the teacher was trying to even out her hair, or maybe Jurnee had lice. She now attends another school. "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 short hair required by schools in India is an attempt to give students a proper dress code and a proper hairstyle. The best degree for an elementary school teacher is a bachelors degree in elementary education. She said a classmate used scissors to cut her hair on a school bus, Hoffmeyer told The Associated Press in April. 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. Jurnee said a classmate used scissors to cut her hair on a school bus, Hoffmeyer told The Associated Press earlier this year. ICE Limitations. That probe included conducting interviews and reviewing video footage and photographic evidence. 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. The two employees who knew about the haircut but did not report it will have written reprimands placed in their files, the board said. 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. Jurnee Hoffmeyer on March 24 arrived home from Ganiard Elementary School, 101 S. Adams St., with the hair on one side of her head cut off. 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. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. As your Board of Education, we are committed to ensuring our schools are safe and welcoming for all our students. 91.3 Port Huron 89.7 Lansing 91.1 Flint. Hoffmeyer Said Jurnee Was Crying & Afraid of Getting in Trouble After the Teacher Cut Her Hair Hoffmeyer said in an interview with the Associated Press that Twitter users have noted that the teacher shouldnt have cut Jurnees hair, but some have mixed opinions about Jimmys racism allegations against the school and its staff. The NPU is working to raise awareness of the Crown Act, a bill that bans race-based hair discrimination, which is already law in some states. Staggering snowfall in California mountains leaves residents trapped for days, Garland testifies before Senate panel amid ongoing special counsel probes, Colon cancer rates rising in younger age group, study finds, Firefighter dies battling blaze in downtown Buffalo, mayor says, Explosive found in checked luggage at Pennsylvania airport, feds say, 20,000 people may have been exposed to measles at Asbury University revival, Prosecution wraps its case at Alex Murdaugh murder trial, Top McCarthy aide, House Oversight chair each met with Ashli Babbitt's mother, Ex-Georgia star Jalen Carter was racing in deadly crash, arrest warrants allege, The Crown Act challenges hair discrimination, The Crown Act seeks to protect against hair discrimination. 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. He said two days later a teacher cut Jurnee's hair to even it out. Jurnees mother is white. A teacher who cut a students hair is a very bad teacher. The employees involved have acknowledged their wrong actions and apologized. The key findings of the third-party investigation are: The third-party investigation is in addition to a thorough internal review conducted by district administration, including conducting interviews, reviewing videotaped and photographic evidence, consistent with the laws and district policies and procedures. She offered to have Im sorry cards mailed to The student was horrified and ran out of the classroom in tears. Mean Lori Lightfoot Beetlejuice memes go viral as Chicago mayor concedes, {{#media.media_details}} {{#media.focal_point}}. Other schools have drawn unwanted attention for policing the hairstyles of students of color. If she is convicted of any of the six counts, she could face up to three years and six months in prison. Michigan school district confident facts will prevail in $1 million racial discrimination lawsuit in girls haircutting incident, 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. It alleges that the biracial girl's constitutional rights were violated, racial discrimination, ethnic intimidation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and assault and battery. 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. 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. Hoffmeyer, who is Black, said in March that his daughter Jurnee arrived home from Ganiard Elementary in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, with much of the hair on one side of her head cut. 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.". Who did they talk to? Mr Hoffmeyer asked on Friday when the results of the investigation were announced. Have something to tell us about this article? A father in Michigan has transferred his biracial 7-year-old daughter to another school after a classmate and a school employee cut his child's curls. Jimmy Hoffmeyer said his daughters constitutional rights were violated., He is reportedly suing the school district and two staff members. Jurnee Hoffmeyer, 7, after a classmate and a teacher cut her hair on separate occasions. All rights reserved (About Us). Two other employees were aware of the incident but didnt report it. Treat our children as you would treat your very own is the way to offer care, Laster wrote. Hoffmeyer said the girl who cut Jurnees hair and the teacher who cut it are white. This may violate the students liberty rights because the school could be infringing on their right to free expression. "Father sues school district for $1 million after staff cut daughter's hair. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. A teacher in Michigan is accused of cutting off a students hair because of his biracial skin. I got mad and hung up, said Hoffmeyer who is Black and white. 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. One tweeted: Father sues for $1M after Michigan teacher cuts 7-year-old daughters hair Teacher should not have cut that childs hair, thats for sure. It is unclear what will happen to her, but many are calling for her to be fired. Parents are upset that they were not informed about the incident and that they are eager for more information. The teacher of a Minnesota middle school cut off the hair of a 12-year-old black boy without the permission of his parents. IE 11 is not supported. "I'm not one to try to make things about race," said Hoffmeyer, who is Black and white. The Teacher Who Cut Off A Students Hair Bachelors Degree In Elementary Education: The Best Choice For Elementary School Teachers, Rutgers: A Top Choice For Students Interested In Pursuing A Career In Teaching, The Best Places In The World to Seek Practical Education, 4 Ways Teachers Can Improve Their Performance in the Classroom, The Unique And Rewarding Experience Of Teaching At A Christian School, What To Do Before The School Year Starts Teacher, How To Teach High School Genetics: A Guide. She was crying, Hoffmeyer said. The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in federal court in Grand Rapids against Mount Pleasant Public Schools, MLive.com reported. The school board also said an independent investigation determined that, despite the "good intentions" of the worker who cut the girl's hair, the employee had violated school policy by cutting the student's hair without permission from her parents and without the knowledge of district administrators. Cutting a students hair on school grounds either with or without parent permission is a clear violation of school policy. As the girls father claims, Ms. Moggs,urnees library teacher, cut off her hair with the assistance of Ms. Jacobs, the schools teachers assistant. MLive.com reports that the lawsuit was filed Tuesday in federal court in Grand Rapids against Mount Pleasant Public Schools. "All of this because her hair didn't look how they thought it should, wasn't done to their standards. Rutgers is dedicated to teaching, research, and public service, and its mission. 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. Amazon travel essentials for your next getaway, starting at $ 12 at. As part of the investigation this because her hair did n't look they. 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