Student suspended for growing hair for charity Locks of Love

What was supposed to be a thoughtful gesture for charity has resulted in a suspension for one Ohio teen.

Zachary Aufderheide, 17, of Canton, Ohio, is growing out his hair to donate a 10-inch ponytail to Locks of Love, an organization that provides wigs for cancer patients.

However, his growing hair violates his high school's dress code, so Canton South High School gave the junior an ultimatum, cut his hair or face a two-day in-school suspension.

Only one inch away from his goal, Aufderheide chose the suspension. He doesn't know what will happen at the end of the suspension, but is determined to donate his hair.

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Aufderheide's mother, Robin, tells ABC News that her son approached the school board in September to explain the importance of what he was doing and to ask them to support him in reaching his goal.

"I can understand where they're coming from. They've had this dress code policy for so long, but I don't understand why they can't make one simple exception this one time," Zach tells WKYC-TV.

Despite board members commending Aufderheide's efforts, they still voted to uphold the school's dress code.

"What he's doing is against board policy. The decision on this one, tough as it was, was to follow the board policies written," says school board president John Martin.

"I feel pretty disappointed with their decision because, honestly, I really put a lot of heart and soul into my demonstration, like, my presentation of the idea to them, and then when they just all unanimously voted against it…it was just kind of heartbreaking to me," Aufderheide tells ABC News.

Aufderheide insists that he'll maintain his hair at regulation length following the donation to Locks of Love.

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Last winter, a Michigan teen was suspended for the same reason.

Seventeen-year-old J.T. Gaskins, 17, is a leukaemia survivor and wanted to give back by donating to Locks of Love.

"I'm fighting for them to make it an option for kids to grow out their hair for Locks of Love, to make it a part of the school and raise awareness for all cancer charities out there that can help patients," Gaskins says of the petition he and his mother launched, asking the school to change its policy on hair.

"It wouldn't be a change to where people find a loophole just to grow out their hair."

"I'm fine with all of their rules," Gaskins adds. "I just think that with this, they could try to make a compromise."

The school responded to the petition with options for Gaskins, promising to support the teen as long as he styled his growing hair in a way that was compliant with school rules, kept out of his eyes and off his shirt collar.

In the end, Gaskins opted to look for a new school.

Should school's hair rules make exceptions for Locks of Love donations? What about other dress code violations in the name of charity?