Mother says teacher forced 11-year-old son with alopecia to remove his cap
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JACKSONVILLE, Florida (WSVN) — A Florida mother was outraged after, she said, her 11-year-old son’s teacher forced him to remove his cap, which covers up a medical condition, then ridiculed the boy, but school officials said the incident never happened.
Jacksonville mother Sarra Brown did not mince words when she described how she felt when she got a call from her son on Thursday.
“I’m going to be very honest: I was angry,” she said.
Brown said her son, Cameron Murray, was still on campus, at Westview PreK-8 School.
“So, my concern was, why did the teacher tell him to take his cap off?” she said.
Brown said the teacher in question, who does not teach a class her son is in, also cursed at him.
When asked what that day was like for him, Murray replied, “Like, I felt sad.”
The reason why the wears caps like this one at school is because he has alopecia areata, a disease that leads to hair loss.
Brown said her son has permission to wear hats and has worn them throughout the school year.
Murray started losing hair at around 7 years old. Now he just has a few strands left.
Brown said the reason the incident with the teacher is so upsetting is because her son has been bullied by other students because of his condition. Some have even snatched his hat off.
“You don’t know if the words you say to them will push them over to commit suicide and kill themselves,” she said. “Anyone that works around children, they need to be able to maintain a professional demeanor at all times, and I understand that at times it’s hard working with children — there will be a lot going on — but I feel that they should have immediately removed him.”
Duval County School District said in a statement at no time did the student or teacher remove the covering, saying school leaders confirmed the student had permission to wear a head covering and have reached out to the student’s family regarding this incident.
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