4-Year-Old Boy Expelled from School for Long Hair Intended for Donation

just guessing, but i bet he did. it's a dumb rule and a darn shame that a catholic (yes i'm one) school would not teach that bending the rules for the greater good is just what jesus would do. i hope the family got their money back so they can send their child to a more tolerant school with a community that wont sully the name of jesus with small mindedness. so sad their spirit was broken. they were doing such a good thing.

As others said before me that I am awe of this young man making a effort to help the lives of other cancer patients through a priceless donation of human hair.

If I was his parents I would not stop there and take this to a higher level. This school should of not kicked him out or kept any tuition payments. This is not sending a good message to him or his classmates at school. They should pay for making this rash decision. This boy should be reinstated in school , refunded any tuition paid and have his tuition paid for. Also a donation to the National Children’s Leukemia Foundation need to be done by the catholic church .

I agree with Tortured Mommy.

There are rules in life and at those schools. They chose to attend the school. They should follow the rules.

There are other ways this kind-hearted little guy can help the cause.

Heather blogs about Motherhood & Other Offensive Situations at http://www.ultimateoutcasts.com.

They did though, and it wasn't enough for the parents who agreed with the original deadline (at least per the article), but now want more.

I appreciate what you are saying. However, I still think there is room to "think outside the box" on this one and create a positive experience for both the child and the private school.

Basically you're asking the school to suspend their policy, because a project like this is lengthy and never ending. Hair grows at a rate of about 1/2" per month. To get the minimum amount to donate (10") would take 20 months, or almost 2 years, so you are asking the school to suspend their policy for 2 years. But wait, child B started growing his hair 10 months into the project, so he needs another 10 month extension, and 6 months into that extension another child or two started, so they need 16 more months. You can see how this would be an unending cycle. Also, this particular family was already given a stay.

The Catholic schools do many, many things to teach children how to be empathetic, charitable, compassionate, etc. They have many donation programs they run. I think allowing this child some leeway (which they have), and then expecting the timeline to be honored is not unrealistic.

When you are choosing a private school, you are choosing the rules by which they are governed. If you do not agree with those rules, then it is your right to find another school that better melds with your personal beliefs. The other families at this school are expected to abide by the same rules. Had this been a public school, my argument would be totally different (and in favor of the 4 year old) as those are run by the public for the public, and such rules should be challenged.

Wow, whatever happened to schools encouraging children to embrace and give to others in need? As a private Catholic School, would their energy not have been better spent by jumping on board with this initiative and taking the cause on as a united front? They could have used the situation as a teaching opportunity and a chance to support a cause that is very important to one of their students. For a set period of time, the "rules" could have been set aside and every child could be encourage to grow his/her hair for the cause.

I think several things are being overlooked here.
First off, this is a private school. If you choose to send your child to a private school, you also choose to be bound by their rules.
Second, it's a Catholic school. Since time immemorial Catholic schools have always had the hair above the collar rule for boys. I've never known one not too, so to say the rules were changed is more than likely a result of the fact that they weren't clearly read.
Third, the family had been granted a reprieve from the rules, and they seem to be unhappy anyway, and wanting more. How much more? How long is the school supposed to bend the rules for this student? Once he finally cuts it, is he going to start growing it again? Then perhaps they should find a school more in line with their beliefs.

This is not to say that I don't admire this little boy for what he's doing. I think it's great that he would do something like this at such a young age.

The school spokeswoman said the parents broke the agreement on "how long this reprieve would last." So they set a timeline? How many people know how long it will take to grow hair? That's ridiculous.

Debi, grinding through life at www.decafdiaries.com ( http://www.decafdiaries.com )
and paying the bills at www.brandnewconcept.com ( http://www.brandnewconcept.com )

My daughter just had her hair cut on Thursday after a year of growing it for Locks of Love. And her hair was long when she started. A donor needs 10" of growth minimum. That takes a long time to achieve. I don't know the details, but it seems like the point of the length was missed in favor of rules for the sake of rules.

This is an(other) example of institutionalization expecting specific compliance, which goes against nature's desire to explore, grow and evolve...individually.

I'm for encouraging individuality, which also respects anothers choice to comply, if/when/how they so desire.

Adventuring ( http://www.msadventuress.com/ )...

I am in awe that a boy so young would want to contribute in such a simple, touching way to the memory of his grandfather. But even if he just liked his hair long, why should the school get to decide what is appropriate? It's not distracting him, or anyone else from their studies. It's not a safety issue. I'm assuming that he keeps it reasonably clean and lice-free. I could ramble on about imposing gender-roles at an impressionable age, but my main reaction to this school administration is "What's the big effing deal?"

-RamblingHutch
http://sporadicsporkitudes.blogspot.com/

The many ways that this is altruistically wrong are painfully obvious. But the thing that upsets me the most is that it's blatantly sexist. Girls are allowed to have long hair, right? Would a girl be suspended for having a short, and therefor boyish, haircut?

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Alyssa's Endless Musings on Life & Everything Else: AlyssaRoyse.com ( http://www.alyssaroyse.com )