A 13-year-old Philadelphia girl said a classmate set her hair on fire while other students looked on and laughed, KYW reported.
“When it happened, I panicked real fast, because I thought I was going to die because it burned my hair so fast,” Nevaeh Robinson, an eighth-grader at the Gompers School, told the television station.
Robinson said the classmate used a lighter while she was waiting at a bus stop. She put out the fire by patting her hair with her hands. Meanwhile, other children at the bus stop laughed, Robinson told KYW.
“It was kind of traumatizing,” she told the television station.
Robinson suffered first-degree burns and has a 2-inch bald spot on her scalp, KYW reported.
“I called the police as soon as they came home, took her to the hospital, the fire chief came out. I’ve spoken to the school district, I’ve spoken to the principal at the school,” the girl’s mother, Tanya Robinson, told the television station.
The Philadelphia School District said in a statement that “this type of violence is unacceptable.”
“We cannot comment on specific instances of school discipline, however this type of violence is unacceptable,” the statement read. “School District did follow its policy and procedure on this matter.”
On Wednesday, Philadelphia police walked with the girl from the spot of the incident. Police gave Nevaeh flowers, a balloon and gifts, KYW reported.
“It’s nice to know everybody has my back, stuff like that,” Nevaeh told the television station.
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