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Italian high school teacher draws controversy for forcibly cutting off Iranian student’s hair

Sunday, 02 October 2022 5:11 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 02 October 2022 5:29 PM ]

Max Civili

Press TV, Rome

The high school of human sciences Leonardo Da Vinci is located in central Rome, not far from the Colosseum. The school has a good reputation. It offers a mix of classical and modern studies and a cultural background which, reads its website, allows pupils to access any university faculty.

However, earlier this week, one of Leonardo Da Vinci's teachers cut a lock of hair from an Iranian student after urging her to express solidarity with the protests taking place in Iran. The underage girl had remained unresponsive to the teacher's request.

The teacher was addressing his pupils on the issue of protests in Iran that have been going on for days after the tragic death of the 22-year-old girl Mahsa Amini.

On Friday, Press TV reached the principal of the Leonardo Da Vinci school but she politely refused to be interviewed, saying that Italy's education authority has forbidden all school staff from engaging with the media on the issue.

The teacher involved in the case risks now a disciplinary sanction. The mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri has said the episode concerning the young Iranian student, if confirmed, would be an unacceptable form of bullying.

Also the National Association of Principals of Rome has condemned the teacher's gesture saying that teachers should always act with great caution and that principals must ensure that schools are a place of growth and not a place where one looks for media exposure.

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