PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. — A Maryland teacher is getting a lot of attention and criticism after posting a video of his students unbraiding his hair in a classroom.
As of Wednesday, the video has been seen nearly 7 million times on the teacher's TikTok page alone, and it’s been reposted all over.
Marquis White said he is a middle school Science teacher. WUSA9 confirmed with Prince George’s Schools, he is a teacher in the county.
In the video, White said he asked 4-5 of his students who he calls “besties” for help. He said he only picked students that were finished with schoolwork and it all happened during the last 10 minutes of class.
In another video, White said he also lets his students paint his nails.
“The student you see in this video has goals and aspirations to be a nail tech. Her mom watches my videos all the time. Not only does she love it, but she signed a media release form for her daughter,” White explained.
The videos generated a lot of talk, with more than 20,000 comments. Some support White, saying "He’s more of a father than most.” Others are critical of the video, saying “This is too close and personal.”
Countless blog headlines are claiming White had been fired following the video, which is false.
Prince George’s County Public Schools told WUSA9 that White has been "reassigned out of the classroom pending the outcome of the investigation.”
WUSA9 read the code of conduct and while it doesn’t say anything about braiding hair or painting nails, it does say staff must respect students’ personal boundaries by maintaining proper space and demonstrate appropriate behaviors. It also says staff shouldn’t record student faces and voices, unless when teaching a Performing Arts class or a Career Technology.
WUSA9 has been in contact with White, who said he is not ready to speak publicly yet.
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