Brave girl cuts hair in memory of sister, but school says it's 'too extreme'

A 12-year-old girl performed a courageous act in memory of her sister but the school rejected her decision as too extreme.

Katelyn Ball, from Devon, decided to cut her beautiful hair to donate it to other children of the Little Princess Trust charity, and also raise funds for InspiredbyKeira, the charity foundation created in honor of her sister.

However, what Katelyn did not know was that when she returned to her school, the principal would not approve of her new haircut. According to the South Molton School, the appearance of the girl, sporting a short hair, is not appropriate and breaks with the school policies.

Keira Ball, Katelyn's sister, died last summer at the age of 9, a victim of a car crash. Her family suffered terribly from the loss of the little girl but they still decided to donate Keira's organs to help give other children another chance.

Thanks to that beautiful decision Max Johnson, 10 years old, received the heart transplant he so desperately needed. Max traveled to Devon and it was he who cut Katelyn's blonde hair with scissors to deliver it to the Little Princess Trust charity. Read more on our Twitter account @amomama_usa

Now, parents Joe and Loanna Ball have decided to temporarily remove their daughters, Katelyn and Keely, 13, from South Molton School in response to the school policies.

"The headteacher raised his voice and talked over me. He said this is an 'extreme hairstyle' and not acceptable. The school should not be telling her off, they should be praising her and promoting individuality. She is extremely upset", Loanna said.

"Personally I think they should be incredibly proud to have a pupil at their school who has the courage to cut their hair off for two amazing causes." Katelyn did this to raise money for #InspiredbyKeira to help other bereaved families and also to make a wig for a sick child who is unable to grow their own hair."Joe said.

A spokesman for South Molton Community College said: "A reasonable compromise was suggested to parents. The suggestion made was that no sanctions would be taken, but we would expect it to grow out of the next term, as it would naturally. The school is always supportive of any charity work that our students undertake."

We hope that Katelyn will continue to be a role model for other children despite the criticism she receives from institutions such as the South Molton School, where the freedom and individuality of each student are curtailed by such conservative and obsolete policies.

Thanks to organ donation, Keira managed to save the lives of four people including Max. After her death, her parents created the InspiredbyKeira foundation with the purpose of raising funds for other families who have suffered the loss of one of their children.

Which reminds us of the story of little Giovanna, who survived a terrible car crash even after being ripped from her mother's womb in the impact.

The small one of only 39 weeks of gestation was found crying on a grass verge only a few meters away from her deceased mother, a true miracle.