Three employees of Mt. Pleasant Public Schools were disciplined following an investigation into a haircut one of them gave a child at Ganiard Elementary in late March without parental permission.
One of the employees was placed on a “last chance” agreement that stipulates that if the employee violates district policy in the future that this person will likely be fired, according to a statement released by the district’s board of education late Friday afternoon. The statement notes that the employee has worked for the district for more than 20 years without a violation.
In addition, two employees who knew about the haircut but didn’t alert the parents or the administration were formally reprimanded.
The findings were based on a third-party investigation conducted into a haircut one of the employees gave to a child on March 26.
One key finding was that investigators determined that racial bias didn’t play a role in the haircut, according to the statement.
The three employees acknowledged that the haircut took place and that it was wrong to do so, and would have violated policy even with parental permission, the statement said.
Investigators based on their findings after interviewing the employees, students and reviewing electronic media evidence.
The district will tighten its policies and provide training to prevent a repeat, the statement said.
The controversy blew up in late April after a post from the child’s father went viral. An employee of the elementary’s library cut the child’s hair at the request of the child.
The post was picked up by an online media outlet called The Black Wall Street Times, which went viral.
The child’s father took his story to the National Parents Union, which called the third-party investigation into the matter incomplete because investigators didn’t talk to the father.
Dozens of people spoke during the public comment period at the district’s April 19 meeting. Most of them lived outside the district, and some lived outside the United States.
