UPDATE Sept. 30 1:30 p.m. EDT: The student who said three boys held her down and cut her hair now says she falsely accused them of doing so.
"To those young boys and their parents, we sincerely apologize for the pain and anxiety these allegations have caused," the family said in a statement. "To the administrators and families of Immanuel Christian School, we are sorry for the damage this incident has done to trust within the school family and the undue scorn it has brought to the school."
WRC reported the student, her guardian and their attorney maintain she was bullied. The family is looking at conseling for the girl.
"While we are relieved to hear the truth and bring the events of the past few days to a close, we also feel tremendous pain for the victims and the hurt on both sides of this conflict," Immanuel Christian School said in a statement. "We recognize that we now enter what will be a long season of healing.
Original story: A Virginia private school is investigating an incident Monday involving three sixth grade boys accused of holding down a classmate and cutting off her dreadlocks.
A Virginia private school is investigating an incident Monday involving three sixth grade boys accused of holding down a classmate and cutting off her dreadlocks.
Amari Allen, 12, said she was attacked on the playground at Immanuel Christian School in Springfield by three boys who held her down while one of them covered her mouth and another chopped off pieces of her hair, WJLA reported. Amari, who is black, said the attackers were white.
Amari told WUSA that they called her hair "nappy" and "ugly" and that she has never been more traumatized in her life
"They kept laughing and calling me names," a tearful Allen told WUSA. "They called me 'ugly' and said 'I shouldn't have been born.' They called me 'an attention-seeker,'" she said.
Fairfax County Police are "actively investigating," officials told WRC.
"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," school officials told WJLA in a statement on the incident. "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."
Allen's family pays $12,000 a year for her to attend the private school.
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