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Marc2b -> RE: lady w cancer remove hat in court (1/15/2008 9:40:35 AM)
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Reminds me of a situation that happened to the niece of a co-worker of mine. This poor girl (fifteen years old) had cancer and the chemo made her totally bald. The principal of her high school refused to budge on the no hats or wigs rule and then concluded she should be kept out of the school altogether because, he "reasoned," her bald head would distract the other students from learning. This despite the fact the students first signed a petition asking that the girl be excluded from the no hats rule and then a second petition that her bald head did not bother them at all. Unbelievably, the school board backed the principal and refused to overturn the principal’s decision. The students – in a fantastic display of the grassroots efforts that modern cell phone culture can bring about – took their protest a step further. The first day that she was officially banned from the school most of the students showed up with their heads completely shaved and wearing tee-shirts that said "bald is beautiful." In a nice twist many of the students donated their hair to Locks of Love, a charity that makes wigs for chemo patients. The school board, no doubt fearing adverse publicity should this attract the attention of the national media, reversed its course. Alas, it came to late. The girl had entered the final stages of her disease and was bed ridden for two months before succumbing to it. Her mother addressed the students during the funeral, thanking them for her support and letting them know how grateful beyond words her daughter had been for the show of friendship and support.
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