SPRINGFIELD, Va. (KRON) – A 12-year-old girl who originally claimed her white classmates pinned her down and cut her dreadlocks has admitted she made the whole thing up.
The story of Amari Allen, a 6th grader at Immanuel Christian School, made headlines after she came forward about the incident that happened Monday at her school.
“One of them put my hands behind my back. One of them put their hands over my mouth. And one cut my hair. They were saying my hair is ugly — it was nappy – they were saying I don’t deserve to live — I shouldn’t have been born — stuff along those lines. I was feeling pretty traumatized by that but I also felt compassion for them because I felt like if I was in their point of view something could’ve happened to them that made them want to do this,” she said.
The Washington Post reported Monday that Amari and her guardians met with school officials on Monday before releasing the following statement:
“To those young boys and their parents, we sincerely apologize for the pain and anxiety these allegations have caused,” the student’s grandparents, who are her guardians, said in a statement sent to the Post by the school. “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. To the broader community, who rallied in such passionate support for our daughter, we apologize for betraying your trust.
“We understand there will be consequences, and we’re prepared to take responsibility for them. We know that it will take time to heal, and we hope and pray that the boys, their families, the school and the broader community will be able to forgive us in time.”
WRC reported that the girl said she cut her own hair, but she, her family and attorney maintain she was bullied.
In the original report, Amari Allen’s family had said they filed a police report.