A Milwaukee teacher has been charged with disorderly conduct and fined $175 after she cut the hair of a 7-year-old girl to punish the child for playing with it.
7-year-old Lamya Cammon says the teacher cut off one of her braids in front of the class, and described the incident:
“I went to my desk and cried. And they was laughing,” Cammon said. “She threw it away, and she said, ‘Now what you gonna go home and say to your momma? ‘ And I said, ‘That you cut off my hair,’” Cammon said.
Cammon’s mother is furious. She went to the school and confronted the teacher.
“I said, ‘Well, you know, you cut a lot of her hair off.’ And she was like, ‘Well, I do apologize.’ She said, ‘But I was frustrated,’” Cammon’s mother, Helen Cunningham, said.
Surprisingly, Cammon’s teacher remains at her post, though Lamya has been moved to another class. Cammon’s mother doesn’t believe the teacher belongs in the classroom anymore, and the Milwaukee Teachers Education Association pushed an unrelated agenda declined comment on the specific incident in which Lamya Cammon lost a braid. They did, however, indicate budget constraints may be causing a higher stress level among Milwaukee teachers. The teacher, who has not been identified, has also declined to comment.
Regardless of the stresses faced by elementary school teachers on a daily basis, how would you feel about an educator who believes this course of action is appropriate behavior spending hours with your child every day?
