Two arrested in igniting student's hair

New Haven (WTNH) - Two students have been arrested and suspended pending an expulsion hearing for trying to set fire to a fellow-student's hair.

It happened last Wednesday just as students were being dismissed for the day from the Katherine Brennan school in New Haven.

According to police, a 12-year-old and 14-year-old used a cigarette lighter to set fire to a girl's hair. She then ran out of the classroom and called her mother, who then called police and an ambulance.

The mother has told the New Haven Register her child has been bullied. She claims the kids were unsupervised and she said the principal did not speak to her about it until this past Monday, five-days after the incident.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Reginald Mayo has said, "The fact is, a teacher was in the classroom at the time of the incident. Secondly, due to the principal's quick response, she was able to get to the classroom and keep them from leaving so each student could be questioned. Finally, a meeting was set up for the next day; the parent did not show up."

The student-victim was released from the hospital without serious injury.