Black Student Who Said White Male Classmates Cut Her Dreadlocks Admits She Made Up Entire Story

A sixth-grade student who last week accused three classmates of forcibly cutting her dreadlocks has admitted she made up the allegations, according to her family and the school principal.

Amari Allen, a 12-year-old African-American girl, had accused three white boys in her grade at Immanuel Christian school, in Springfield, Virginia. She said they held her down on a playground during recess, covered her mouth, called her insulting names and used scissors to cut her hair.

Fairfax police launched an investigation into the incident last week after they were contacted by the girl’s family. Meanwhile, social media erupted in outrage. Commentators made much of Vice President Pence’s wife, Karen Pence, teaching art part time at the private school.

At that school where Karen Pence teaches, the one that bans LGBTQ people, this happened Monday… // [White] Boys Pin Down Black Classmate, Cut Her Dreadlocks at Virginia School https://t.co/VrNhdKzioG via @nbcwashington

— Kevin Baron (@DefenseBaron) September 26, 2019

“To those young boys and their parents, we sincerely apologize for the pain and anxiety these allegations have caused,” they said. “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,” the grandparents continued. “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.”

The principal says Amari Allen lied and warns of “a long season of healing”

After meeting with the girl and her family on Monday morning, the principal, Stephen Danish, also issued a statement and sent an email to parents and community members.

“We can now confirm that the student who accused three of her classmates of assault has acknowledged that the allegations were false. We’re grateful to the Fairfax County Police Department for their diligent work to investigate these allegations,” Danish wrote. “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. We recognize that we now enter what will be a long season of healing.”