Emanyea Lockett, 9, had received a two-day suspension for telling a friend he thought the fill-in teacher looked "cute". The school considered the boy's comments sexual harassment-- saying he also called the teacher quote "fine".
In a statement issued to the family, the district now says officials made a mistake. Lockett's mother, Chiquita, says she's encouraged by the district's decision to issue an apology and force the school principal to retire.
"This is where it needed to go so that it doesn't happen again," said Chiquita Lockett. "This was just accusations against my child that wasn't true."
The school principal also issued a statement saying he doesn't believe he was treated fairly. He called the suspension his only mistake in 44 years.