An eighth grader has been left traumatized after her classmates set her hair on fire last week.

Nevaeh Robinson was at a bus stop two blocks from her Philadelphia school on last Tuesday when another child set her hair on fire with a lighter, reports CBS Philly.

“When it happened, I panicked real fast because I thought I was going to die because it burned my hair so fast,” she said.

She says other students laughed as she rushed to put the fire out.

“It was kind of traumatizing,” the tearful teen said.

Nevaeh now wears a scarf to cover several bald spots and her singed hair. She was left with first-degree burns, but it could have been worse according to Tanya Robinson, Nevaeh’s mother.

“The doctor told me her hairstyle saved her life,” Tanya recalled. “Had it been different, she might not be here.”

This isn’t the first time Nevaeh has experienced bullying. Two years ago, another student broke her thumb.

“I called the police as soon as they came home, took her to the hospital, the fire chief came out. I’ve spoken to the school district, I’ve spoken to the principal at the school,” Tanya said.

This time, the mom is demanding harsh punishment for the bullies. “I want expulsion if you’re setting kids on fire,” Tanya said.

Nevaeh says she deals with head pain “from the back, all the way up to the front,” but that will not stop her from beginning homeschool in the following weeks.

“This shouldn’t be swept under the rug,” said her mom.

The incident is currently under investigation.

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