• Amari Allen, 12, told NBC Washington that three white boys at Immanuel Christian School in Springfield, Virginia, cut off portions of her dreadlocks at recess on Monday.
  • She said she was about to go down the slide when one of the boys put his hand over her mouth, a second one grabbed her arms, and a third cut off her dreadlocks.
  • Amari didn’t tell anyone until Wednesday, when her grandmother, Cynthia Allen, was doing her hair and noticed uneven sections. Now the family wants the school to punish the boys.
  • Second Lady Karen Pence works at the same school part-time as an art teacher.
  • Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Three sixth-grade white boys at a Christian school in Virginia have been accused of cutting a black girl’s dreadlocks and calling them “nappy.”

Amari Allen, 12, told NBC Washington that the incident happened at recess on Monday at Immanuel Christian School in Springfield – a school that Second Lady Karen Pence works at part-time as an art teacher.

Allen said she was about to go down a playground slide when one of the boys put his hand over her mouth, a second one grabbed her arms, and a third cut off her dreadlocks.

“They said my hair was nappy and I was ugly,” she told NBC Washington.

When the bell rang, she said the boys ran off laughing.

Allen didn't tell anyone until Wednesday. Her grandmother, Cynthia Allen, was doing her hair and noticed uneven sections.

The family then called the police in Fairfax County and reported the incident.

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Allen has been attending Immanuel Christian School since kindergarten, but her grandparents have taken her out of classes until the boys are punished.

"Some consequences should be implemented so that the school will send a strong message: We will not tolerate this, under any circumstances. No matter who you are," Cynthia Allen told NBC Washington.

Head of School Stephen Danish told WJLA that the school is "deeply disturbed by the allegations."

"We take seriously the emotional and physical well-being of all our students, and have a zero-tolerance policy for any kind of bullying or abuse," he said in a statement.

Danish said administrators have contacted law enforcement requesting they conduct a "thorough investigation." The Allens don't believe there's any connection between the incident and Karen Pence working at the school.

The Fairfax County Police didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.