Redcar Academy: Boy, 15, charged following 'disorder' at charity head-shave protest school

Cleveland Police say teenager was detained at Redcar Academy on suspicion of a public order offence and will now appear at the youth court.

Police at Redcar Academy

Updated: A boy, 15, has been charged with one public order offence in connection with an incident at Redcar Academy earlier today.

He is due to appear at Teesside Youth Court on February 3.
Police have arrested a 'young person' after being called in to the charity head-shave protest at Redcar Academy this morning.

As reported, youngsters have been protesting after a row blew up over how the school dealt with a pupil who shaved her head in memory of Marske teenager Georgina Anderson.

A Cleveland Police spokeswoman said: “Police were made aware of some disorder at the school just after 10am and officers arrested a young person on suspicion of a public order offence and this person will be interviewed by officers.”

The spokeswoman was unable to give an age at this stage - or to confirm whether or not the arrested person was a pupil at the school.

She was also at this stage unable to confirm whether the arrest was made on or off school premises.
Some media reports have suggested Redcar Academy student Mia Flood was today being banned from the classroom for defying the school’s policy against extreme hairstyles.

Mia, 14, shaved her head on Saturday during a fundraising day in Georgina's memory.
She intends to donate her hair to the Little Princess Trust, which makes wigs for young cancer patients.

Reports in local media, and on social media platforms, suggested Mia would be excluded from school today.

Earlier today, it was reported that the pupil was at the Kirkleatham Lane school.
But conflicting reports began to emerge as the day progressed that the teenager was being schooled at home.

Nobody from the school was available to clarify the situation when called by the Evening Gazette.
But the reports prompted scores of online comments and even a “Let Mia Flood Go Back To School” petition, which has attracted hundreds of signatures.

Earlier today, about 20 protesting students could be seen in the school grounds, some chanting “we shall not be moved.”
The school has released a statement claiming that the reports were “a distortion of the facts”.

Article from the Gazette Live:
http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/redcar-academy-police-make-arrest-6530063