KUSA – It was meant as a gesture of solidarity: a girl in Grand Junction shaved her head to support her friend, who is battling cancer. However, family members say the girl’s school didn’t see it that way and said it violated the dress code policy. Now, what started as a simple gesture is turning into a battle over whether hair should matter in school.
For the two girls on the playground, though, Monday afternoon was all about sharing fun in the sun and sporting matching bald heads.
“It felt like the right thing to do,” Kamryn Renfro said.
With her parents’ permission, Kamryn shaved her head in support of her cancer-stricken friend, 11-year-old Delaney Clements. She lost her hair because she is undergoing chemotherapy in her fight against neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer.
Delaney loved what her friend did.
“It made me feel very special and that I’m not alone,” she said.
However, when Kamryn tried to go back to school at Caprock Academy in Grand Junction this week, she wasn’t allowed in. Turns out, having a shaved head is a violation of the school’s dress code policy. Delaney’s mom, Wendy Campbell, couldn’t believe it.
“I didn’t realize that hair was such an important aspect of a child at school,” Campbell said.
In a statement, Caprock Academy said its dress code policy is clear.
“Caprock Academy does have a detailed dress code policy, which was created to promote safety, uniformity, and a non-distracting environment for the school’s students. Under this policy, shaved heads are not permitted,” said Catherine Norton Breman, President and Chair of Caprock Academy Board of Directors.
Delaney and her mom are hoping the school will change its mind and make an exception.
“It makes me sad because she was really happy to go back to school and show people what she did, but now that she didn’t get to, she’s kind of sad,” Delaney said.
“For a little girl to be really brave and want to shave her head in support of her friend, I thought that was a huge statement and it builds character in a child,” Campbell said.
Caprock Academy also said in their statement that sometimes exceptions can be made to the dress code policy under extraordinary circumstances.
Kamryn’s mother tells 9NEWS that the school headmaster told her Kamryn will be allowed to return to school Tuesday.The school’s board of directors plans to meet Tuesday evening to discuss this situation and the policy.
Read more at http://patdollard.com/2014/03/colorado-school-suspends-girl-for-shaving-her-head-to-support-cancer-stricken-friend/#rpkYb3yKsPv3GVOM.99
Wow! Why not also it make it mandatory for all students to have blonde hair and blue eyes? They could even make them wear tidy uniforms with swastikas on the sleeves!
Never happen, Sunfire.
That would disqualify all the illegals.
Check your email. 😉
Just did. Check yours.
‘Night, Angel. Sorry. 🙁
🙂 Sweet Dreams.
There was a wonderful example in South Africa some years ago. 10-11 year old boy had to undergo Chemo and lost all his hair. The school asked the mother how he was doing and when would he be able to return. The mother explained that he would be fine but was embarrassed over his loss of hair.
The whole class (every single student) then volunteered to shave their heads to ensure that he would feel both comfortable and wanted. In addition about half the school also shaved in solidarity, including at least half of the staff and the head master.
The school was St Stithians the year was about 1990. From what I remember at the time, the school was a boys school (5-18 years) but at some time around then they also admitted girls. I am not sure if any girls participated.
It is a different world now YOU MUST CONFORM. No individuality for that would make you stand out. Your job is to be a good little worker and and deviation from that position will cost you. Now a suspension later a death.
Those darn Iranians :
“When Iranian schoolteacher Ali Mohammadian noticed that one of his students was being bullied after going bald as a result of a mysterious illness, he decided to show solidarity and shave his own hair. In no time, his entire class shaved their heads and the bullying stopped.
Now, Mohammadian, who teaches at Sheikh Shaltoot’s elementary school in Marivan, a Kurdish city in the west of Iran, has become a national hero”
Pictures online
You beat me to it on this one #1. Good article.
Ya know – I cannot help but to remember back in the 60`s that you were a hippy if your hair was over your ears if you were a guy, I know that this is a girl here but the issues are still about control and that is BS every way that I see it.
Yea these so called rule makers need to be slapped silly as that is what their rules are – just plain ridiculous and silly.
Before we descended into the hard-core fascism that we’re now being crushed by, people were able to decide for themselves what they looked like. The clothing you wore, and your hairstyle were protected “free expression.”
Now you have to look like the Zionists (Nazis) dictate.
Fu***ng pathetically sickening!! This idiot needs to be drug out of that school and tarred and feathered. How is it that we let these IDIOTS teach anyone anything?
Both girls are really cute. Too bad adults suck.
Time for all the kids to shave their heads. if they want conformity they should give it to them.