A Brisbane girl whose father is dying of leukaemia has been suspended from her school for shaving her head for cancer research, as it breaches uniform policy.
Emily Pridham, 15, was told she was breaching school uniform rules when she turned up to Mount Alvernia College without hair, Nine News reported.
She said she shaved her head to raise money for cancer research after her father was diagnosed with leukaemia.
Emily's father recently had a bone marrow transplant but has been told he only has a few months to live.
The teenager's mother Barbara Pridham said she was outraged her daughter had been told she could not return to school until her hair grew back.
"I am just appalled that she could be suspended from a Catholic school which promotes respect, joy [and] community spirit," she told Nine News.
"I think [Emily] has done a very selfless thing and I support her 100 percent."
The teenager said she decided to shave her head as a way of coping with the ordeal and slammed the school's decision as "ridiculous".
"The teachers seemed to be the only people who didn't like it," she said.
"A lot of my friends were really supportive."
In a statement, Mount Alvernia College principal Kerrie Tuite confirmed Emily had violated the school's uniform rules and had been suspended for "ongoing issues".
The school's uniform policy, posted on its website, states students should keep their hair "neat and tidy" and that hair below collar length should be tied back with white or maroon hair bands.
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