| Female teachers 'forcibly cut teenage boy's hair' |
A 14-year-old boy says two women at his Florida school forcibly cut his hair after telling him it was too long.
He says the pair - a teacher and a teaching assistant - summoned him to an empty room before forcing him on to the floor.
He says they put the hair in the bin after cutting several inches off with scissors. His family is threatening to sue.
He told the St Petersburg Times he was screaming: "Don't cut it, don't cut it."
He added: "They had two handfuls of my hair. They put it in the garbage can."
His parents have told Hillsborough school officials they intend to sue the education authority for allegedly allowing the pair to cut his hair without parental permission.
They claim he was emotionally traumatised.
"This is really outrageous conduct," the family's lawyer Alan Sandler said. He said his client is now letting his hair grow.
He described the boy as a "thin little guy." He added: "He's not small, but he's not muscular."
A school spokesman says officials are investigating the incident. The school system has six months to respond to the claim. The education authority has no specific hair style policy.
Story filed: 17:26 Friday 22nd March 2002