A 14-year-old boy was charged with a felony after he lit a classmate’s hair on fire during a class Monday afternoon at a public elementary school on the Near West Side.
About 3:25 p.m., the boy used a lighter to set the 13-year-old girl’s hair ablaze in a classroom at Dett Elementary School, 2131 W. Monroe St., police said.
The girl’s mother later took her to St. Luke’s Hospital, where she was treated for burns to her forehead, police said.
The boy was arrested and charged with a felony count of aggravated battery, police said. He is being held at Cook County’s Juvenile Temporary Detention Center.
Emily Bolton, a Chicago Public Schools spokeswoman, said the district cannot disclose information about student discipline, but confirmed the incident is being handled in accordance with the district’s policy.
“All students deserve a safe learning environment and we are deeply concerned about the incident that took place at Dett,” Bolton said. “The school has offered supports to the family and the district is in the process of reviewing the incident.”
