Principal Loses His Job After Taking In Homeless Student He Refused to Abandon

August 26, 2026

An Ohio principal lost his job after choosing to do something he believed was more important than following the rules: making sure a homeless student he cared about had a safe home and a chance to finish high school.

Ron (left) and DeDe | Credit: USA Today / Reuters

Rob Burnside had spent 31 years in education and was the principal of Lakota East High School near Cincinnati when he learned that one of his students, Landerius Hayes, was struggling with homelessness.

Hayes, who goes by the nickname DeDe, had been dealing with an unstable home life. He told CBS News that living with his mother was not safe and that his father was dealing with his own issues. At times, Hayes said, he slept in a car with the heat running because it was too cold inside the mobile home where his father lived.

Despite everything he was going through, Hayes kept showing up to school.

Then, during his junior year, a letter arrived informing the school that Hayes' mother had moved to a new address outside the district. Because of the change, Hayes was told he could no longer attend Lakota East.

Burnside could have simply processed the paperwork and moved on. Instead, he started asking questions.

The answer he received was clear: Hayes needed to attend school in the district where his parent lived.

But Burnside wasn't willing to let a change of address determine whether a teenager got to finish his education.

He went home and told his wife, Angel, what was happening.

Her response was simple.

"Well, he can come stay with us, if he needs to."

The Burnsides had already adopted two children, but they decided to open their home to Hayes as well. They reached out to his mother and offered him a place to stay.

Burnside said he and Angel prayed for an answer.

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

About five minutes later, his phone buzzed. It was a message from Hayes.

"Hey, Mr. Burnside."

Burnside looked at his wife.

"I think we just got our answer," he said.

Hayes moved into the Burnsides' home, where he found something he desperately needed: stability.

But there was still the issue of school.

Although Hayes was no longer technically eligible to attend Lakota East, Burnside allowed him to continue going to classes.

That decision ultimately cost the principal his job.

Burnside said the district told him it did not believe he could return to the school and be an effective leader. He was given the choice of stepping down or going through the termination process.

Hayes even offered to leave the Burnsides' home and return to living with his mother if it meant saving Burnside's career.

Burnside refused.

"No. You're gonna stay with me," he told him.

He later remembered exactly what he told Hayes when the two embraced.

"DeDe, you're part of this family. We're not gonna turn our back on you."

After the Burnsides became Hayes' legal guardians, Hayes was able to return to school legally and continue his education.

This past May, Hayes graduated from a different high school. Sitting in the stands were the people he now calls Pops and Ma, Rob and Angel Burnside.

Today, Hayes is working toward becoming an aviation mechanic.

Looking back, Burnside knows his decision came at a significant cost. He says he cannot get another principal job in the area.

But he has no regrets.

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

For Hayes, the difference is even more profound.

 

"When I think about it now, it's like I don't know how I'm here," he said through tears. "At first, I was in a cold car, barely eating, barely in a school, just trying to be a good person. And now, I'm eating now. I'm in the house, being a kid."

One principal saw a student who needed help. His wife opened their home. And together, they gave a young man something far more valuable than a place to sleep.

They gave him a family, safety and the opportunity to keep moving forward. And for Burnside, losing his job was a price he was willing to pay.