‘Nobody had my permission’: Mother speaking out after her son’s hair was cut by barber at school

PITTSBURGH — A local mother wants answers after she says her son’s hair was cut in school without her permission.

She tells Channel 11 it happened at Arsenal Elementary in Lawrenceville, and it wasn’t done by a classmate.

“I was just shocked. I’m like, ‘How?’” Tori Yager said.

She says she was shocked and confused when her son, Torrie, a fourth grader, messaged her saying he’d gotten his hair cut at school.

“I didn’t understand. I thought it was a kid that cut his hair. I didn’t know that there was a program where barbers come to the school and cut hair,” Yager said.

The program she’s talking about takes place in the school but is run by a man named Abdul Rahim. Rahim refers to himself on social media as a mentor and celebrity barber.

“I had no idea he was in the mentorship program. I didn’t get a notice, a permission slip, nothing,” Yager said.

A video posted to Rahim’s Facebook page shows him cutting hair in the school. On his Instagram page, there is another video. It features several students including Yager’s son. She’s not happy that her son’s image was used on someone else’s social media account.

Torrie had never had a haircut before. Yager says he suffered an allergic reaction and developed bumps along his hairline. She took him to Children’s Hospital, where he was diagnosed with contact dermatitis, she said.

Yager is speaking with school officials. She’s also reached out to Rahim directly.

“I had my boyfriend contact him. He did not answer the phone.”

Channel 11 has also reached out to Rahim over the phone, through text and on Facebook. We’ve not heard back.

“My son can’t get his hair back. He can’t get the experience back and, like I said, nobody had my permission.”

Channel 11 has also reached out to Pittsburgh Public Schools. The district gave the following statement:

“A mentoring program has been paused after the provider implemented parts of the program without consulting school staff. The “Undaworld Mobile Service Youth Programming” is designed to expose young men to the day-to-day work of barbers and the specific skills related to entrepreneurship. As the incident involves a minor, no further information is available.”

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