School Backtracks With 11 yr old Boy with Pink Mohawk
By JILL REILLY
An 11-year-old was banned from trying-out for his school basketball team after he shaved his hair into a mohawk and dyed it pink to support his mom with breast cancer.
Trevor Foster was told by his principal at Clifty Creek Elementary in Columbus he could not participate until he changed his hair style.
But after a major public backlash with his father organsing a social networking campaign, the school backtracked and apologized.
The news follows a story last month when a 12-year-old New Jersey boy took a stand by quitting his football team after he said his coach banned him from wearing pink gloves on the field in honor of his mother, who is also battling breast cancer.
Making a stand: Trevor Foster and his older brother Caleb both shaved their heads, leaving behind a thin strip of hair on top and a breast cancer ribbon design
Banned: 11-year-old Trevor Foster
Trevor's mother, Stacy Foster, was diagnosed with breast cancer last year and Trevor dyed his hair with his older brother Caleb.
Mrs Foster underwent surgery earlier this week and the pair decided to change their hairstyle to support her.
'I was walking out to my bus and she stopped me and told me that I couldn't try out for basketball with my mohawk,' Trevor told RTV6.
He said he went home and told his father Tamage who took to Facebook, posting pictures of his sons' haircuts and soliciting support from the community.
He also called the school and contacted school board members about the incident.
The father and son organised a meeting with Principal Cynthia Frost, who backtracked and told him he could try-out the team.
According to Trevor, she was even wearing a pink suit which she told him was to support his cause.
'She apologized but it didn't help much,' he said.
'I'm still disappointed that she said what she said. It was just wrong to say that,' he told ABC News.
Principal Frost even suggested that Trevor become one of the leaders of a new student council geared toward raising funds for breast cancer research.
After the meeting Mr Foster wrote on his Facebook page:
'Met with the principal this morning - she was very apologetic, that she was thinking ahead after Trevor made the team cause there is no reason that he shouldnt make the team, and that next 9 weeks they are going to start up a student council which Clifty Creek has never had before.
'Said Trevor is one of the leaders in his grade, she felt so bad that she wore pink today to show support for Trevor.'
The boys' mother, Stacy Foster, who was diagnosed with breast cancer last year right and their father Tamage
Success: Mr Foster's victorious tweet
His mother, Stacey, who is being released from the hospital today after recovering from surgery on Monday, told ABC News she was 'disappointed and angry' at the original decision.
'This was one way he thought he could support me through this surgery,' she said.
'When parents have cancer we don't really understand what our children go through. For him, it was his way of showing support for me all the way.'
Supportive son: In this photo taken Monday, Sept. 10, 2012, Julian Connerton wears his pink football gloves that he bought in honor of his mom Mayra Cruz-Connerton, who has breast cancer
Last month when a 12-year-old New Jersey boy took a stand by quitting his football team after he said his coach banned him from wearing pink gloves on the field in honor of his mother, who is battling breast cancer.
Julian Connerton, of Egg Harbor, left the opening game of the Egg Harbor City Crusaders seventh- and eighth-grade youth football team in Ocean City when coach Paul Burgan informed him that he could not take the field sporting his brightly-hued football gloves.
At halftime, the 12-year-old said he decided to quit the game and the team.
‘I love my mom more than I love football,’ the boy told WCSH.
The coach later admitted he forgot the reason Julian was wearing pink gloves and apologized, with Julian rejoining the team.
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