Superintendent Verleger has also personally apologized to the family on behalf of the school district. There is no evidence of a racially discriminatory intent, purpose, or motive, or evidence that Plaintiff was denied full and equal enjoyment of goods and services, attorney Piper wrote. Two other employees were aware of the incident but didnt report it. A teacher who cut a students hair is a very bad teacher. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. We are confident that the facts will prevail given our districts appropriate and aggressive response to the incident and the findings of the third-party investigation that was conducted, Bond said in a statement. The school board, on the other hand, has determined that jurors hair was not cut to coincide with her race. Amy Bond, Mount Pleasant Public Schools Board of Education president, said Thursday that the district has not received the complaint. The board ruled to place Mogg on a last chance employment agreement, during which time any future violations will likely result in termination. Superintendent Jennifer Verleger recommended the discipline and was supported by the board. The dad took issue with the response, countering by asking what the school was planning to do with the staffer who cut his daughters hair, Bradley said. Mount Pleasant Public Schools full statement is below: At Mt. This teacher should be fired immediately. Cutting a students hair on school grounds either with or without parent permission is a clear violation of school policy. He said two days later a teacher cut Jurnee's hair to even it out. I asked what happened and said I thought I told you no child should ever cut your hair, Hoffmeyer said at the time. However, there are no specific rules about teachers cutting students hair. Now, Hoffmeyer is suing both Ganiard Elementary teachers along with their school district for $1 million, according to the lawsuit filed in a federal court in Michigan. Newsweek has contacted the Mount Pleasant Public Schools District, Ganiard Elementary School and Jimmy Hoffmeyer for comment. Jurnee said a classmate used scissors to cut her hair on a school bus, Hoffmeyer told The Associated Press earlier this year. Jennifer Gieszinger began teaching part-time at a Tulare County high school in August. The incident occurred in March when seven-year-old Jurnee Hoffmeyer arrived home from school with the hair on one side of her head cut off. She now attends another school. The short hair required by schools in India is an attempt to give students a proper dress code and a proper hairstyle. She said but dad, it was the teacher. The teacher cut her hair to even it out.. She was afraid of getting in trouble for getting her hair cut., I asked what happened and said I thought I told you no child should ever cut your hair, he continued. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. Jimmy Hoffmeyer said his biracial daughter came home on March 24 with much of the hair on one side cut after another child grabbed on a pair of scissors. Hoffmeyer said he received a call from the districts superintendent about a week later after the schools spring break. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. With the investigation concluded, we can now move forward together as one MPPS family and community dedicated to helping all students achieve and succeed. Jurnee Hoffmeyer, 7, after a classmate and a teacher cut her hair on separate occasions. The father of a 7-year-old Michigan girl whose hair was cut in school without her parents' consent has filed a $1 million lawsuit against the school district, a librarian and a teacher's assistant. She told her father, Jimmy Hoffmeyer that another student had cut her hair on the school bus with scissors taken from the classroom. Michigan is one of the states considering a CROWN Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act to protect women and girls who are frequently discriminated against for wearing natural hair. As a result of the districts investigation, the employee who cut the students hair will be placed on a last chance agreement during which time any future violations will likely result in termination. The investigation included interviews with district personnel, students and families, as well as a review of video and photos, including posts on social media, the district said. The teacher has been placed on administrative leave while the incident is being investigated. The best degree for an elementary school teacher is a bachelors degree in elementary education. I got mad and hung up, said Hoffmeyer who is Black and white. WRSX 91.3 Port Huron is off the air due to network issues. "Jurnee had long, curly hair prior to it being cut off," the complaint states. She said but dad, it was the teacher. The teacher cut her hair to even it out.. As your Board, we have made every effort to address this matter with the seriousness and care it deserves and with the transparency our community expects, the board said. The teacher cut her hair to even it out.". As a result of the incident and the third-party investigation, our school policies have been clarified to help ensure incidents like this do not happen again. Verleger wrote that Jurnee had asked a fellow student to cut her hair at school. She said she didnt have the authority to do anything, he added. Please enter valid email address to continue. "After that teacher cut her hair, she was so embarrassed. This may violate the students liberty rights because the school could be infringing on their right to free expression. Hoffmeyer is working with the National Parents Union, a national network of parent organizations and activists that advocate to improve the quality of life for children. Jurnee's mother is white. People can still act on racial bias even with the best intentions, Laster said. It's clear from the third-party investigation and the districts own internal investigation that MPPS employees had good intentions when performing the haircut. In addition, Superintendent Verleger has recommended and the Board has accepted written reprimands for two additional MPPS employees who were aware of the incident but did not alert the students parents or the Administration. District administrators also performed an internal review of the incident. Following the incident, Hoffmeyer is appealing for justice for his daughters hair cut at school. The Associated Press contributed to this report. In July, the Mount Pleasant school boardsaidthe staffer who had cut Jurnee's hair had been reprimanded. In the complaint, neither of those two school employees is identified by their first names. The Mount Pleasant School Districts superintendent dismissed the allegations as an example of misinformation. "We are confident that the facts will prevail given our district's appropriate and aggressive response to the incident and the findings of the third-party investigation that was conducted," Bond said in a statement. It is best to check with the school directly to inquire about their policies regarding hair length for students. The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Did they really do an investigation?. She was afraid of getting in trouble for getting her hair cut. Two days after the bus incident and after her father complained to the principal and took Jurnee to a salon to style her hair in an asymmetrical cut to make the differing lengths less obvious Jurnee arrived home with her hair cut on the other side. Hoffmeyer said the girl who cut Jurnees hair and the teacher who cut it are white. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. This incident has caused a lot of uproar, with people on both sides of the issue. Our main purpose with the independent investigation has been to bring the facts to light, learn from this incident and make our district even stronger. She offered to have Im sorry cards mailed to the family, he said. In addition, Superintendent Verleger has recommended and the Board has accepted written reprimands for two additional MPPS employees who were aware of the incident but did not alert the students parents or the Administration.. The parent of Jurnee Hoffmeyer, a 7-year-old girl whose hair was cut by a school librarian, has sued the Michigan school district for $1 million. A couple of weeks ago, Jurnee Hoffmeyer got her hair cut by another student on the bus home from school, her father, Jimmy, says.It didnt look, arrived home from Ganiard Elementary in Mount Pleasant with hair missing, Free legal representation now available for many Detroiters facing eviction, MSU announces new security measures, plan for external review of response to mass shooting on campus, Michigan Senate advances repeal of 1931 abortion ban though the ban is already unenforceable, Michigan Senate passes Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act expansion to add LGBTQ rights, Former Burton police officer charged with hate crime, Mount Pleasant family says daughters haircut by school staff exposes racial bias. Some people are upset at the way iPhones charge. The teacher had been cutting the boys hair without permission from his parents. "She said she didn't have the authority to do anything," Hoffmeyer said in reference to a conversation he had with the Ganiard Elementary School principal. If signed into law, the bill would add language to Michigans Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to include hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks, and twists as traits historically associated with race.. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). About 4 percent of Mount Pleasants 25,000 residents are Black, according to the U.S. Census. Amy Bond, the Mount Pleasant school board president, said Thursday the district has not received the lawsuit. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. The board added that the third-party inquiry was performed in addition to an internal review by the school districts administration. Later, the schools principal told him the most that could happen to the library teacher was a note in her work file, Hoffmeyer said. As your Board of Education, we are committed to ensuring our schools are safe and welcoming for all our students. Who did they talk to? Mr Hoffmeyer asked on Friday when the results of the investigation were announced. The acts name is a backronym for Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair. States including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington have adopted the Crown Act as law. That probe included conducting interviews and reviewing video footage and photographic evidence. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. As your Board, we have made every effort to address this matter with the seriousness and care it deserves and with the transparency our community expects. On a related note, the Michigan House of Representatives in March 2022 passed the CROWN Act in a 235-189 vote to prohibit race-based hair discrimination. The librarian has been placed on a last chance employment notice and will be dismissed if there is any future infraction. Jimmy Hoffmeyer, a father in Michigan, is suing the school district in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, because a school employee cut his daughter's hair. Two other employees were aware of the incident but did not report it and have been officially reprimanded. Jimmy Hoffmeyer said a teacher cut his 7-year-old daughters hair without his permission. Hoffmeyer said the explanations he has received from the principal and the district have done little to appease him. She was crying, Hoffmeyer said. In the spirit of transparency, we are presenting the key findings from this investigation and resulting discipline as recommended by Superintendent Jennifer Verleger with support from the school board. That librarian is now a named defendant in a $1 million civil rights lawsuit filed by the girls father. Jimmy Hoffmeyer of Michigan filed the case on behalf of his daughter Jurnee Hoffmeyer. The lawsuit claims that the librarian, along with the school district and a teachers assistant, violated Jurnees civil rights. Regardless of their good intentions, these actions are unacceptable and show a lack of judgement on the part of our two employees, Verleger wrote. The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in federal court in Grand Rapids against Mount Pleasant Public Schools, MLive.com reported. Jurnee Hoffmeyer on March 24 arrived home from Ganiard Elementary School, 101 S. Adams St., with the hair on one There could be a few reasons why the teacher cut Jurnees hair. Now, the Mount Mount Pleasant is about 150 miles (241 kilometers) northwest of Detroit. This is the second unasked-for chop for a 7-year-old daughter in a week, according to her father. Legal Statement. The teacher was arrested after forcibly cutting off the hair of a student. In 2019, an 11-year-old cheerleader in Coloradowas cut from a private cheer teambecause she didn't wear her hair in a ponytail like her White and Latina teammates. Two days later, Jurnee returned home a second time with nearly all her hair cut off down to a few inches from her scalp. The board added that the third-party inquiry was performed in addition to an internal review by the school districts administration. Hoffmeyer said he filed an incident report with the Mount Pleasant Police Department, but as of Monday no officer had contacted him to follow up on the complaint. Maybe the teacher was trying to even out her hair, or maybe Jurnee had lice. Jimmy Hoffmeyer said his daughters constitutional rights were violated., He is reportedly suing the school district and two staff members. Huffpost untangles the complex history of black hair, Baseball legend Jackie Robinson's name misspelled as "Jakie" on road sign, Serena Williams honored at NAACP Image Awards, City, family reach $2 million settlement in Florida fatal police shooting, How these 3 hashtags from Black Twitter changed America. Margaret Gieszinger, 52, a chemistry teacher in California, was caught on camera forcibly cutting a students hair and throwing it behind her while singing the national anthem. All rights reserved (About Us). 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. The district is located about 150 miles (241 kilometers) northwest of Detroit. But it has nothing to do with White, Black, or Bi-racial. Jurnee was removed from the school by her father and now attends classes elsewhere. Jurnees mother is white. She's having trouble sleeping now and always wants to be with us," Hoffmeyer told the Black Wall Street Times, which states Jurnee is in first grade. The father of a 7-year-old Michigan girl whose hair was cut by a teacher without her parents' permission has filed a $1 million lawsuit against the school district, a librarian and a teacher's assistant. But the district did not say who performed the independent investigation, and Laster said neither Jurnee nor her parents had been contacted by independent investigators. Jurnee Hoffmeyer, who is biracial, is pictured before the unapproved haircuts took place. In thelawsuit, filed Tuesday in federal court in Grand Rapids against Mount Pleasant Public Schools, Jimmy Hoffmeyer alleges his biracial daughter's constitutional rights were violated. First published on September 17, 2021 / 6:05 PM. Jimmy Hoffmeyer on Tuesday, Sept. 14, filed his federal lawsuit on behalf of daughter Jurnee Hoffmeyer in the Western District of Michigan. Powered and implemented by FactSet. The girl who cut Jurnees hair is white. 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