Girl who claimed classmates cut her dreadlocks off admits she made the story up

A girl who told CNN that school bullies cut her dreadlocks off admits she made the story up. Photo / Getty Images

An African American student claimed that her white classmates pinned her down and cut off her dreadlocks.

Now, the 12-year-old has admitted that she made it up, her school said in a statement.

"We can now confirm that the student who accused three of her classmates of assault has acknowledged that the allegations were false," Stephen Danish, head of Immanuel Christian School revealed on Monday.

The girl, named Amari Allen, told CNN last week that three white boys at her school in Virginia, pinned her against a playground slide and hed her hands behind her back while they snipped away at her hair calling it "ugly" and "nappy".

Allen's aunty told CNN how embarrassed they were at the young girl's actions and that their family is "devastated".

She did say that there was a verbal dispute with the schoolboys but she fabricated the story.

"To those young boys and their parents, we sincerely apologise for the pain and anxiety these allegations have caused," the Allen family said in a statement on Monday.

"To the administrators and families of Immanuel Christian School, we are sorry for the damage this incident has done to trust within the school family and the undue scorn it has brought to the school."

"We understand there will be consequences, and we're prepared to take responsibility for them," the girl's family said.

"We know that it will take time to heal, and we hope and pray that the boys, their families, the school and the broader community will be able to forgive us in time."