Principal shaves head to support bullied student

  • 03/02/2017

A school principal in the United States has shaved his head, after a student was teased for doing the same thing.

Eleven-year-old Jackson Johnson recently shaved his hair in support of his granddad Rick who's suffering from cancer. But, despite his brave move, he was mocked at school the next day for looking like a cancer patient. 

Tim Hadley, principal of Pekin Middle School, Iowa, wouldn't stand for it. A video has emerged showing him give a heartfelt speech in front of the school. 

"I'm very proud of you Jackson, that's an amazing step. That's very bold," Mr Hadley said.

He then proceeded to ask the students if anyone knew someone who suffered from cancer. A large show of hands indicated it was "about everybody in the room." 

In a sign of solidarity the principal then asked Jackson to help him shave his hair off in front of the 175 students.

"I'm standing up for Jackson and showing my support," he said. 

"I think we look at social media and we see this perfect person behind it. That person could be broken and we project one image and some of us live another," Hadley told NBC.

Jackson Johnson says after his newfound support, he hopes to keep his head shaved until his granddad goes into remission. 

"If he doesn't finish the battle against cancer I am going to keep my head shaved until I die," he said. 

Newshub.