Girl suspended in head-shaving act of support

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Girl suspended in head-shaving act of support

By Emily Shockley
Monday, March 24, 2014

The widely shared story of a Caprock Academy student who was not allowed to go to school after shaving her head in solidarity with a friend battling childhood cancer drew sympathy and outrage Monday on social media.
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Caprock is a state-affiliated, public charter school so it is not governed by the District 51 School Board. ... Caprock Headmaster Kristin Trezise declined to be interviewed when contacted at the school Monday. Caprock Board of Directors Chairwoman and President Catherine M. Norton Breman released a statement Monday afternoon through Trezise announcing the special meeting. In the statement, Norton Breman confirmed shaved heads are not permitted by the school’s dress code policy, “which was created to promote safety, uniformity, and a non-distracting environment for the school’s students.” She added exceptions to the policy may be made “under exigent and extraordinary circumstances.”

While the letter did not mention a student’s name, it alluded to the story, spread across Facebook Monday, that Caprock student Kamryn Renfro had her head shaved over the weekend to show support for her friend Delaney Clements, a Grand Junction girl diagnosed in 2010 with neuroblastoma, a rare form of childhood cancer. Kamryn was then told she could not return to school until her hair grew back due to a violation of the dress code. Posts about the incident were often accompanied by a photo showing a bald girl believed to be Kamryn posing with Delaney.
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UPDATE 9:45 a.m: Girl allowed to return to school; mother seeks policy change

A Caprock Academy student who was held out of school Monday because she violated the dress code by shaving her head in support of a friend battling childhood cancer was allowed to return to school this morning.

[Jefferson23]

1. She is one fantastic friend. Good to hear they let her back into school. n/t

[MineralMan]

2. I'm glad that decision was changed.

It was a supremely stupid decision to start with.

When I was eight years old, I got head lice from some other kid at school. My mother, always practical in all things, dealt with it by shaving my head bald and smooth. I got some teasing from other kids at school, but it got rid of all of the cooties. That lice thing spread around the school, and pretty soon, there were a bunch of kids with shaved heads to be seen, girls and boys, alike.

It's a great solution. Really. Hair grows back out.

[VanillaRhapsody]

3. I find this really stupid....so the girl has to have hair to fit the dress code...

what if a boy shaved his head? Would that be unacceptable too? I would sue that school myself.

[yeoman6987]

4. I would sue that school myself.

Everyone always says to sue, but what if you lose? Who has to pay? The person that was discriminated against. Suing is not necessary in this situation. She is back and school and by September she will have long wavy hair again. School looked at the rules and took them with zero flexibility. They will change the rules now to allow for flexibility.

[VanillaRhapsody]

5. this is the kind of case an attorney takes with the promise to accept 1/3 if you win...

and get nothing if you don't. Happens all the time.

[demigoddess]

6. rules are different for girls

I'm surprised they aren't demanding the wearing of skirts not jeans.

[VanillaRhapsody]

7. Yep...wouldn't surprise me to find it is one of those "religious" Charter schools...

some do not believe in cutting a woman's hair...EVER.

[rurallib]

8. Headmaster Kristin Trezise needs to have her head shaved as punishment

for a truly dumb decision. And to show that her head is not really empty.

[AmyStrange]

9. What a truly AWESOME FRIEND!!!

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everyone needs a friend like that,

d

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[AmyStrange]

10. Colorado mom: After shaving furor, focus on friend - CO USA

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Colorado mom: After shaving furor, focus on friend - CO USA
Updated 8:20 am, Wednesday, March 26, 2014

http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/Colorado-mom-After-shaving-furor-focus-on-friend-5350600.php

"DENVER (AP) - The mother of a Grand Junction third-grader who shaved her head in solidarity with a cancer-stricken friend is asking for an end to the national furor over a school's short-lived decision to bar the girl from campus, so the focus can shift to the recovery of her 11-year-old friend... "