The mother of an 11-year-old Black boy in Edmonton, Canada, refuses to accept an apology from a Catholic school where a staff member associated her son's durag with gang affiliations.

According to CBC, a retired police officer who works as an advisor at Christ the King School connected the boy's durag with gang activity.

CityNews said it obtained a recording of Una Momolu's meeting with the school principal as she expressed her frustration with the incident involving her son Emmell.

"You don't ask an 11-year-old boy 'are you affiliated with a gang?'" Momolu said. "That's not a question you ask a child."

School officials also said the meeting became heated and the principal had to call police, CityNews reported.

Edmonton Catholic Schools apologized in a written statement Thursday, according to CBC.

"We want to start by recognizing and apologizing for the use of the word 'gang' with regards to the situation," the district said. "It was never our intent to suggest that the boy had any affiliation with a gang."

A spokesperson for the district also said the boy was told to remove his head covering because it's against school rules to wear hats, caps and bandanas, CBC reported.

Momolu spoke to reporters Thursday at a rally supporting her son, saying the district partially apologized.

"That really wasn't an apology if you're apologizing and still standing with the school after everything they have done," Momolu said. "I want rules changed. I want our cultural identity to be recognized."

According to CBC, Momolu has been banned from the school for one year after the meeting with the principal and she has kept Emmell out of school since the ban.

Momolu denied the district's claim which said she was aggressive and frightened staff in a meeting at the school.

Edmonton

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