Parents demand answers after elementary school staff cuts hair of child with autism

A Grade 4 child's hair was allegedly cut by a TDSB employee without parental consent, sources tell CP24. Handout

The parents of a non-verbal nine-year-old are demanding answers after an educational assistant at a Toronto school allegedly cut the child’s hair without their permission earlier this month.

The boy, a Grade 4 student at George Webster Elementary School in East York, lives with autism, and according to his parents is “very particular” about how he likes his hair.

During the school day on April 4, the boy allegedly got a sticky, red substance in his hair and became distressed. An educational assistant trimmed the portion of his hair affected by the substance, according to a spokesperson for the board.

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“Despite the best of intentions, this should not have happened without first checking with a parent,” a representative for the Toronto District School Board said in an email.

The educational assistant has been placed on home assignment while the school continues to investigate the situation.

The parents of the boy, however, tell CP24 that the school’s response to the issue has been insufficient and that they are pulling their son out of classes for the time being.

“This educational assistant never stopped complaining about his hair,” the child’s father, Muksatur Rahman, told CP24. “We are sure it is a personal issue. After this incident, we don’t feel safe to send my son to this school under her supervision.”

Rahman says he and his wife are dissatisfied with the school’s response to the issue. “We're angry...to give a haircut to a special needs child, you’d have to hold him tight. That’s a safety concern.”

The boy has struggled with haircuts for most of his life, his father said. “He gets aggressive. He’ll push us. His anxiety level will get very high.”

Rahman says he and his wife are dissatisfied with TDSB's proposed timeline for relocating their son to another school.

“We’re keeping him home,” he said. “And he’s been more aggressive than before. He liked to cover his ears with his hair and he can’t.

“They needed to talk to us first. This shouldn’t have happened.”