Community Corner

Student Banned for Shaving Head in Support of Cancer-Stricken Friend Sparks National Backlash

Officials say a shaven head violates the school's dress code policy. A special meeting is scheduled for this evening to discuss the issue. Should an exception be made?

When nine-year-old Kamryn Renfro decided to shave her head in support of friend Delaney -- who’s undergoing chemotherapy as she battles childhood cancer -- her parents were more than supportive.

But her school? Not so much.

Administrators at Caprock Academy in Grand Junction, CO told the student she could not come to class with a shaved head because it violated the school’s dress code policy. Kamryn was asked to wear a wig or return to school when her natural hair had grown out. 

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"It felt like the right thing to do," Kamryn told 9News.com, of her decision to support 11-year-old Delaney Clements.

"I was really excited I would have somebody to support me and I wouldn't be alone with people always laughing at me, Delaney shared with Denver station KDVR. “ I would at least have somebody to go through it all.”

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When news of the story went viral, the school reconsidered and allowed Delaney to return to class today. The families have seen an outpouring of support and thanked everyone on their Facebook page.

“She didn't shave her head to be a part of a gang or a rebel," Corrina Shirley, a mother of two from Grand Junction, told KKCO. "She shaved her head to show her friend that she wasn't alone."

This evening, the school's board of directors will meet for a closed-door meeting to discuss this situation, the current policy and whether to grant an exception. The board is expected to take a public vote.

In a statement announcing the special meeting, board President Catherine M. Norton Breman said the dress code's shaved head ban was "created to promote safety, uniformity, and a non-distracting environment for the school's students," but added that exceptions may be made "under exigent and extraordinary circumstances," The (Grand Junction) Daily Sentinel reported.

What do you think? Should the school make an exception and allow Kamryn to sport her bald head at school in support of ? Would you support your child in a similar act of solidarity?


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