Photo: The Root
It’s the photo that shook up social media and demanded #JusticeForAvaLynn. The Mississippi kindergartener’s mother, Lacey Harris, went to pick up the little girl from school last month and the child was swollen and bruised “beyond recognition.”
AvaLynn Harris told her mother that it was another student who kicked her repeatedly in the left side of her face until she fell off the slide on the playground of Arlington Elementary School in Pascagoula, Miss., according the Justice for AvaLynn Facebook. According to the support page, the school told Harris that no teachers were present during the time of the incident and therefore “no one could prove whether or not another student had harmed Ava.”
The Pascagoula School District released a statement which suggested that that AvaLynn had injured herself and her injuries were not at the hands of another student:
A student was injured while playing on the playground at Arlington Elementary School Tuesday afternoon. School officials responded to the situation. The parent was contacted and the student received medical treatment. No other children were involved in the incident. The Pascagoula School District remains committed to the safety of all its students,” the statement read, according to HuffPost.
AvaLynn’s mother has filed a police report, but authorities say that for the time being, there is no evidence that supports a crime being committed.