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A librarian at Ganiard Elementary School in Mount Pleasant, Michigan cut the hair of a biracial 7-year-old girl, infuriating her father.
According to The Black Wall Street Times, Jimmy Hoffmeyer noticed the unwarranted new look on March 26 when his daughter Jurnee returned home from school with her hair cut to within inches of her scalp.
The incident occurred two days after a classmate cut Jurnee’s long curly hair on one side as she was riding the bus home. After the bus incident, Hoffmeyer took his daughter to the salon and let her pick a new look.
“I understand today’s society,” the father said. “I was not going to send my little girl to school with half her hair shaved.”
When a similar incident occurred a few days later, Hoffmeyer was even more outraged.
He said, “I don’t think there are words to describe how I felt at the time.”
When he saw his daughter weeping when she returned home, the enraged father assumed that another student had cut his child’s hair once again. But, according to Jurnee, this time it was a librarian who did it.
Hoffmeyer said, “I couldn’t believe it.” “I got in my car to drive to school, but then I realized it was spring break.” Since I couldn’t reach anybody, I called the cops.”
When he saw his daughter weeping when she returned home, the enraged father assumed that another student had cut his child’s hair once again. But, according to Jurnee, this time it was a librarian who did it.
Hoffmeyer said, “I couldn’t believe it.” “I got in my car to drive to school, but then I realized it was spring break.” Since I couldn’t reach anybody, I called the cops.”
The school’s secretary later expressed her “utter disbelief” to the parent, but the principal would not be available to speak with him until after spring break, a week later.
When Hoffmeyer was eventually able to speak with Ganiard Principal Marcy Stout, he demanded repercussions.
He said she apologised and said she didn’t know why they did it. “I inquired as to what would be done with it, and she said that they would most likely receive a mark in their progress folder or something. And that any further activities will be subject to the superintendent’s approval. As a result, I informed her that I wanted the superintendent to contact me.”
The conversation with Superintendent Jennifer Verleger, on the other hand, did not improve the situation.
“When the superintendent called, he sounded insincere and brief,” Hoffmeyer said. “She asked if she could have the teachers give ‘I’m sorry’ cards in the mail to make us feel better.”
As the father considered withdrawing his daughter from school, the principal attempted to persuade the family to remain by promising to accompany the child around campus to ensure she was safe.
“What is the best way to discipline my child?” Hoffmeyer inquired.
The enraged parent went on to say that the school has declined to let him see the bus incident video, claiming that there is little to see. Hoffmeyer has been happily posting pictures of his daughter on social media as he continues to demand clarification.
The National Parents Union is now assisting the family, and is looking for a civil rights attorney to take on the case.
“No child should be subjected to such humiliation because of their hair texture, style, or type!” The people in charge of her education went off the line, didn’t defend her, and didn’t want to be held responsible for their decisions, according to the NPU.
The organization is urging Michigan lawmakers to pass the CROWN Act, despite the fact that the father did not state whether he thought the incident was racially motivated. Senator Cory Booker announced the CROWN Act in 2019 to prohibit discrimination based on hair texture and hairstyles, as Blavity previously noted. California was the first state to pass the bill, followed by New York.
In 2019, Booker said, “Discrimination against Black hair is discrimination against Black people.” “In workplace norms and culture at large, implicit and overt prejudices toward natural hair are deeply rooted. This is a violation of our civil rights, and it happens to Black people all over the world on a daily basis.”
Booker mentioned Andrew Johnson, a young man who was forced to cut his locs before a wrestling match in New Jersey in 2018, as an example of a high-profile case of discrimination in recent years.
After her 4-year-old son’s hair was deemed a dress code breach, a Black mother in Chicago requested change last month. Since her son’s hair was braided, Ida Nelson said the private school, Providence St. Mel, considered the style inappropriate.
“‘As an all-Black school in 2021, do we still have policies related to Black hair?’ I asked. ‘That astounds me,’ says the author “”said the mother.” “We’ve come a long way, and we now have a lot more details. I assumed that this school would be aware of the trauma associated with policing Black hair and would not have such a policy.”
Jurnee, who has since transferred to a new school, is still reeling from the incident.
“Because she hasn’t been sleeping, we had to take her to the hospital. She’s had trouble sleeping lately and wants to be with us all the time. All of this because her hair didn’t look the way they wanted it to and wasn’t up to their expectations “Hoffmeyer remarked. “You can see her spark and passion in images of her before this happened. It’s as though it’s just vanished.”
