Texas high school student with cancer wins right to wear blue wig to class

The 17-year-old said in a letter that the colourful wig 'symbolises confidence, integrity and power, to help me weather through the storm'

A Texas high school student with cancer has won her fight to wear a two tone turquoise and black wig after administrators told her it violated school dress code policies.

Kate Pepper, a 17-year-old student at McKinney High School, said that she was told not to wear her colourful wig, even though she is going through her second battle with brain cancer. About a week before her senior year, she made the tough decision to shave her long braids, which had been thinning out because of her treatment.

"Losing your hair is always the tough part about having cancer," she said in a video posted on YouTube. "But at the end of the day, I know I can make it through and that my hair will grow back".

The school’s refusal to allow her to wear the wig sparked backlash from the local community in McKinney, Texas, that ultimately drew attention in the broader Dallas-Fort Worth area, and even Austin.

Embarrassed by outrage created when Kate and her mother posted a letter they had sent to the school district online – which said that the two tone turquoise and black wig "symbolises confidence, integrity and power, to help me weather through the storm" – the public district was ultimately forced to back down from its position.

“I feel a relief, and I am honestly hoping that if anyone else is going through my circumstances that this will help them along the way as well,” Pepper told local media after the school board made an exception for her.

The decision was made by the McKinney Independent School District (ISD) Sunday, which released the following statement:

“McKinney ISD made a decision to grant an exception to its dress code policy and will allow the student to wear a coloured wig,” the district wrote.

The statement continued: “The family has been contacted and were happy with the decision and expressed appreciation for the District’s understanding and reconsideration of the decision.”

The controversy also caught the attention of Lt Governor Dan Patrick, who commented on the circumstance before the school district’s decision.

“I support clear rules for students but I am asking McKinney ISD to create an exception to their dress code and allow Kate Pepper to wear her beautiful wig”.