Kid tries to pay back the good deeds of those who helped him, and gets suspended for it.
The 17-year-old leukemia survivor said he decided over the holidays to grow out his hair and donate it to Locks of Love after learning that the sister of a family friend had cancer.
In the process, officials at Madison Academy in Burton ruled Monday that Gaskins' hairstyle is violating school policy.
Despite his suspension, the teen says he isn't planning to cut his hair and hopes the board of the charter school near Flint will reconsider.
"I fought cancer my entire life. I'm going to keep fighting this," he said. "I'm not going to not give back just because my school says no."
Gaskins' mother, Christa Plante, says she supports her son's effort "100 percent."
On Monday, she launched a petition on Change.org asking the school to amend its hair policy for boys to allow them to grow it for charity donation.
Plante said her son has been assisted by charities over the years, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Now he's ready to do his part, she said.
"He's seen how it works and how it helped people, how it helped us," she said. "This is for him. He wants to do it now. This feels right."
Well done, Madison Academy.
