This case makes me think of the teacher who duct taped the kid to a chair. Another who duct taped a child's mouth. No there wasn't physical damage, but there was a lot of psychological damage to the child. To me though this isn't assault or battery. This is child abuse, plain and simple.
To a girl especially, her hair is her 'glory.' I can just see her sitting for hours to get her hair braided. But her mother insisted and I can see the little girl smile afterwards because she was 'pretty.' But then she goes to school and the teacher cuts her hair in front of the other students. The other kids laugh at her. She is humiliated, and no longer feels 'pretty.' That just killed any self esteem that child had.
And if the DA won't prosecute, and the school won't suspend this teacher, then I sure as heck would be contacting Children's Services. Because pschological abuse is child abuse. And if this teacher practiced it even once, then she should be investigated for it. The taunt to the child after cutting her hair would be one of the things I told CPS about. And yeah, I would be sitting in the principals office, attending the school board meeting and the PTA meeting and writing letters to the editor too. Because if the school isn't paying attention to this teacher psychologically abusing children, you have to wonder what else they aren't paying attention to.
I like the point that someone made about if another child did this to her out of malice, that child would be in serious trouble. Possibly suspended, possibly sent to counseling. Because this is something we try to teach kids not to do, and teaching them not to do it has to start with the teachers behavior.
