A Virginia middle school student with dreadlocks admitted that she made up the accusation that she was attacked by three white boys at school who she said pinned her down and cut her hair, her family announced in a statement.
Amari Allen initially told authorities that the boys called her dreadlocks “ugly” and “nappy” during recess last month, and then cut some of them off.
The head of Immanuel Christian School, Stephen Danish, said that after authorities investigated the allegations, Allen admitted she had made the story up.
"While we are relieved to hear the truth and bring the events of the past few days to a close, we also feel tremendous pain for the victims and the hurt on both sides of this conflict,” said Danish. ”We recognize that we now enter what will be a long season of healing.”
Authorities checked security footage and then questioned her about inconsistencies in her story, the family's attorney, Michael Daniels, told NBC 4 Washington.
“Everybody is incredibly sorry that this all went down the way that it did," Daniels said. “They’re starting to look at a path forward, and that involves a lot of counseling and therapy and open discussion.”
Amari maintains she has been "bullied some" at school, however, "mostly subjected to some mean words," reporter Julie Carey said Daniels told her.
Allen’s family apologized to the school and the families of the boys affected.
“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," the family wrote. "We understand there will be consequences, and we're prepared to take responsibility for them."
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