Nationwide — Stacy McGilberry, an African American mother from Ellisville, Mississippi, wants school officials to take action after she said her daughter’s hair was repeatedly pulled by another student at South Jones Elementary School. She said the problem continued for weeks before her daughter’s braids were pulled completely from her scalp, leaving a bald spot on the back of her head, and her daughter is now afraid to return to school following the incident.
McGilberry said her daughter first began experiencing the hair-pulling in early September. According to WTOK, she said she reported the behavior to three teachers but later learned that the principal had not been informed. When she spoke with the principal, she said the principal told her that none of the teachers had passed along her concerns. McGilberry said the lack of communication made the situation more troubling because she had already raised the issue several times.
The mother said she realized how serious the situation had become last week. She noticed that one braid did not move with the rest when her daughter turned her head. When she looked closer, she discovered that the braid had been pulled out from the root. The injury left a bald area on her daughter’s scalp. McGilberry also noticed a change in her daughter’s behavior, saying the girl has become reluctant to go to school because she knows the bald spot is visible.
After the braid was pulled out, the school moved the other student’s desk farther away in the classroom. McGilberry said that did not ease her concerns because the students are still in the same room. She said she remains worried that her daughter could be touched or hurt again. She currently uses Vaseline on the affected area and has her daughter wear a protective cap while the scalp heals.
McGilberry is now asking the Jones County School District to either transfer her daughter to another school or move the other student to a different classroom. She said district officials advised her to wait until the next school board meeting before expecting further action. Until then, she said she is uncomfortable with her daughter continuing to attend South Jones Elementary under the current circumstances.
The Jones County School District said it could not discuss the specific situation without more information and cited student privacy laws as a reason it could not provide details. The district also said it has policies against harassing or intimidating behavior and that those rules are intended to protect students. McGilberry, meanwhile, continues to seek answers about how her earlier reports were handled and what the school plans to do to address her daughter’s concerns.