A 12-year-old girl from northern Virginia has withdrawn her accusation that three classmates grabbed her and cut her dreadlocks on the playground of their private school.

The Washington Post reported on Monday that the girl’s family issued an apology to the boys, the school and the community.

Last week, the girl told multiple media outlets three of her sixth-grade classmates at Immanuel Christian school in Springfield called her hair “ugly” while they assaulted her at recess.

The girl is African American and said her attackers were white. The story received national attention.

“They said my hair was nappy and I was ugly,” the girl told local news teams, using a term which is typically taken as a racial insult by African Americans, directed at the nature of their hair.

“They put my hands around my back, put their hands over my mouth and started to cut my hair.”

The girl’s grandparents, her legal guardians, said in a statement to the Post: “To those young boys and their parents, we sincerely apologize for the pain and anxiety these allegations have caused.

“To the administrators and families of Immanuel Christian School, we are sorry for the damage this incident has done to trust within the school family and the undue scorn it has brought to the school.

“To the broader community, who rallied in such passionate support for our daughter, we apologize for betraying your trust.

“We understand there will be consequences and we’re prepared to take responsibility for them. We know that it will take time to heal, and we hope and pray that the boys, their families, the school and the broader community will be able to forgive us in time.”

The school principal, Stephen Danish, sent a statement to parents on Monday confirming the allegations were false. He said the school feels “tremendous pain for the victims and the hurt on both sides of this conflict”.