By Elizabeth Benton, Register Staff

NEW HAVEN — Two youths have been arrested, and a Katherine Brennan School mother said she fears for her daughter’s safety after the 12-year-old girl’s hair was set on fire while she was sitting at her classroom desk last week.

The mother said her daughter, who is in sixth grade, was also threatened by classmates earlier this year after she refused to have sex with a 13-year-old cousin who is in her class. The mother said she recently changed her daughter’s cell phone number because of threatening phone calls related to her refusal to have sex.

“She’s not safe,” the mother said. “I’m scared for her. I want her to change her school. I want her to stay home. She won’t stay home. She’s never missed a day.”

The girl’s hair was badly singed and the back of her scalp was sore, according to her mother.

The girl was taken from the school by ambulance to Yale-New Haven Hospital, where she was treated and released.

The victim’s mother said she was informed of the incident by her daughter via cell phone, and that she did not hear from the school principal until Monday.

“The principal should have called me,” she said.

The New Haven Register is withholding the names of the victim and her mother.

Police spokesman Officer Joseph Avery said two students were arrested Wednesday after allegedly using a cigarette lighter to burn the girl’s hair. The boys, ages 12 and 14, allegedly tossed the lighter out a classroom window after burning the girl’s hair.

The identities of the boys were not released because of their ages. Continued...

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The 12-year-old boy is charged with risk of injury to a minor, a felony, and reckless endangerment, a class A misdemeanor. He was remanded to juvenile detention. Further information on his case was unavailable due to his age.

The 14-year-old is charged with disorderly conduct, a class C misdemeanor. He is due in court next week.

School spokeswoman Michelle Wade said the two boys were suspended for 10 days, pending an expulsion hearing.

Avery said the police report does not indicate whether a teacher was present at the time of the burning incident. The victim’s mother said the teacher was out of the classroom at a meeting, and that no adult was supervising the class.

Wade, however, said the teacher was in the room, and did not notice anything was wrong until the girl ran out of the classroom.

“Her hair was only singed. The teacher didn’t even realize it,” Wade said.

Wade said the school had no record of the girl being propositioned for sex, but said the mother reported the girl received sexual text messages. Wade said school officials spoke to the girl about the dangers of “sexting,” which is sending a text message about sex.

Elizabeth Benton can be reached at 789-5714 or ebenton@nhregister.com.

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