High school student and cancer survivor J.T. Gaskins of Grand Blanc, Michigan, was suspended by school officials at the Madison Academy on January 23 for having long hair.

 

What makes this story news is that Gaskins, who fought leukemia until the age of four, decided to grow out his hair so he could donate some of it to Locks of Love, which uses donated hair to make wigs for cancer patients. He was moved to do this after learning that a sister of a family friend had cancer. Gaskins says he intends to fight the suspension. “I fought cancer my entire life. I’m going to keep fighting this,” he told The Detroit News. “I’m not going to not give back just because my school says no.”

 

Roused by the bad publicity, leaders of the Madison Academy, which is a public school in suburban Flint, made a weak attempt to placate public opinion by offering a compromise: if the 17-year-old would use gel or some other technique to keep his hair out of his eyes and off his shirt collar, they would consider him compliant with school rules.

 

Gaskins’ hair must be at least 1o inches long before he can donate it.

-Noel Brinkerhoff, David Wallechinsky

 

Teen and School Seek Compromise over Hair Grown for Cancer Patients (by Peggy Walsh-Sarnecki and Bill Laitner, Detroit Free Press)

School Suspends Cancer Survivor over Long Hair He Plans to Donate (by Christine Ferretti, The Detroit News)