Ohio Principal Loses Job After Housing Homeless High School Student

Former Lakota East High School principal Rob Burnside lost his job in a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio, after allowing a homeless student to remain enrolled at the school by taking him into his own home.

The situation began during the junior year of student Landerius Hayes, also known as DeDe, who had been secretly experiencing homelessness while struggling to maintain his attendance.

Hayes faced unsanitary and unsafe living conditions outside the classroom prior to the intervention of his principal.

"First time I met him is when I seen him in the hallway and I was like, 'What's up, Mr. Burnside?'" said student Landerius Hayes.

Hayes recounted that the administrator immediately gave him full attention during their brief encounters in the school corridor.

"He just dropped everything, smiled at me, and he was like, 'What's up, DeDe?'" said Hayes.

The student explained that living arrangements with his parents had become unsustainable and hazardous.

"My mom, I couldn't live with her because it wasn't really safe to live with her," said Hayes.

Hayes noted that his father also faced personal struggles that affected their housing security.

"And my dad, he had some issues going on," said Hayes.

He described resorting to sleeping in a vehicle to survive severe weather conditions.

"He can't be here. He doesn't have a parent who has an address. The parent resides elsewhere. He needs to go where the parent is," recalled former principal Rob Burnside.

Burnside stated that district officials told him Hayes could not remain enrolled after a letter indicated his mother lived outside district boundaries.

"The first words out of her mouth were, 'Well, he can come stay with us, if he needs to,'" said Burnside.

The principal discussed the situation with his wife, Angel, who offered to welcome Hayes into their residence alongside their two adopted children.

"We said, you know, 'God, if this is your will for this young man to be in our home,' you know, 'make it clear,'" said Burnside.

Burnside said his family sought clarity before receiving a message directly from the teenager.

"Like five minutes later, my phone buzzes, and I look at it, and it's a message from him: 'Hey, Mr. Burnside.' And I grab it, and I look at my wife and say, 'I think we just got our answer,' and he's been in our house since then," said Burnside.

Despite obtaining housing with the family, Hayes remained officially withdrawn from the district, but Burnside permitted him to continue attending classes, triggering action from administration.

"I was told that the district did not believe that I could go back in the building and be an effective leader, and I was given the option of stepping down or going through the process of being terminated," said Burnside.

Faced with administrative proceedings, Burnside elected to leave his post to protect his family's stability.

"And the words that came out of his mouth: 'No. You're gonna stay with me,'" said Hayes.

Hayes recalled offering to return to his mother so Burnside could preserve his career, but the principal refused.

"I remember my exact words, 'DeDe, you're part of this family,' you know, 'we're not gonna turn our back on you,' and, you know, and we hugged," said Burnside.

The Burnsides eventually secured legal guardianship of Hayes, resolving his safety concerns and allowing him to re-enroll legitimately.

"When I think about it now, it's like I don't know how I'm here. Yeah. I just don't know," said Hayes.

The student reflected on his dramatic transition from displacement to living in a secure environment.

"At first, I was in a cold car, barely eating, barely in a school, just trying to be a good person. And now, it's just, I'm eating now. I'm in the house, being a kid. Now, every time when I think about it, it's just, wow, how did I do it?" said Hayes.

Although Burnside remains unable to secure a principal position in the region following the incident, he maintains that his actions were necessary.

"Because what value can we put on the life of a young person?" said Burnside.

Hayes officially graduated from a secondary school this past May with Rob and Angel Burnside supporting him from the audience, and he is currently pursuing training to become an aviation mechanic.