An elementary schoolteacher in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, was reprimanded after cutting a 7-year-old's hair to "even it out" after a classmate hacked some off; the mixed-race girl's parents are also suing the school district.
The lawsuit was filed in a federal court in west Michigan against Mount Pleasant Public Schools and two teaching staff, MLive.com reports.
As well as violating the child's constitutional rights, the lawsuit also alleges racial discrimination, ethnic intimidation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and assault and battery.
The before-and-after photos given to media by the girl's father are pretty startling, aren't they? The scissor-happy teacher was white, according to reports.
Schools objecting to the appearance of black kids' hair is an ongoing problem in the U.S. In one high-profile 2018 case, a dreadlocked teen was made to cut his hair short to participate in athletics, leading to a coach's suspension.
In the U.K., where school uniforms and appearance policies are generally much stricter than the U.S., similar treatment of black children has begun leading to financial settlements—and to explicitly discriminatory policies against "afro hair" making the news.
