SPRINGFIELD, Va. — A northern Virginia girl has recanted her accusation that three classmates grabbed her and cut her dreadlocks on the playground of a northern Virginia private school.

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

Last week the 12-year-old girl told multiple media outlets that 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.

The school’s principal, Stephen Danish, sent a statement to parents 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.”