Teenage schoolgirl placed in isolation after shaving head for charity
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| OLIVIA PETTER Jan. 08, 2018 |
A Cornwall mother was left reeling after her teenage daughter was punished at school for shaving her head for charity.
Anneka Baldwin claims that her 14-year-old daughter, Niamh, was put in isolation when she arrived at Mounts Bay Academy in Penzance because she had broken the rules.
The teenager had donated her hair to the Little Princess Trust, an organisation which makes wigs for children who have lost their hair due to cancer.
Despite her good intentions, Niamh was reportedly told off when she arrived at school and was told she had to wear a head scarf until her hair grew back.
32-year-old mother Baldwin quickly took to Facebook to express her anger:
“Niamh recently shaved all of her hair off to donate to a children’s wig charity!!!
“I think this is the most courageous and amazing thing to do and makes me so proud, that’s why I am so upset that the school has made her feel so low and put her in to isolation because her hair needs to be 1cm longer to be able to join in with classes and be allowed to see her peers in the playground!!!,” she wrote.
The mother added that her daughter was a consistently high-achieving student, describing her as a “lovely girl” before revealing that the incident had left her “fuming”.
“I’m so proud of you Niamh as our all your family and friends, your [sic] amazing and don’t let anyone ever let you feel less than that !!! So disappointed mounts bay school!!!”
However, the school’s principal, Sara Davey, maintained that the teenager had broken the school’s rules and deserved to be punished accordingly, reports Mail Online.
“All students know this is the school policy and they also know that the consequence is to complete school work in the inclusion room until the hair grows so that it is no longer extreme.”
Davey added that had Niamh asked the school about shaving her hair for charity prior to doing so she would have been advised to choose an alternative fundraising method.
“The family had every opportunity to contact the school about their actions before Niamh shaved her hair for charity but they for some reason did not do this,” she added.
“Going forward, I will speak to Niamh’s mother to try to resolve the situation to everyone’s satisfaction so that Niamh can return to lessons as soon as possible.”
In response to the incident, a spokesperson for the Little Princess Trust said:
“The Little Princess Trust is very grateful to Niamh and to all of our supporters who donate their hair and fundraise in support of the charity. We know that receiving a free real hair wig has a profoundly positive effect on the sick children and young adults that we assist and it is only thanks to our kind supporters that this is possible.
“We are very saddened to learn of Niamh’s situation and equally wholly understand the standpoint of Mounts Bay Academy.”
