TEEN WHO WAS HOMELESS GRADUATED, CALLS EX-PRINCIPAL ‘POPS’
An Ohio teen who once slept in his car and washed his clothes in school sinks graduated high school. Landerius Hayes got there with help from a principal who resigned after the district investigated that help.
Landerius “DeDe” Hayes graduated from Kings High School in May 2026 and received a leadership award, Bright Side reported. The man in his corner was Robert Burnside, the former principal of Lakota East High School.
Hayes calls him “Pops.”
Sleeping in his car
Hayes was 16 and a student at Lakota East when his housing fell apart. He moved among friends’ homes and sometimes slept in his car.
He washed his clothes in school sinks. When his school laptop ran out of power, he did his homework on his phone.
National figures put the graduation rate for students experiencing homelessness at 69.1% in the 2022–2023 school year, Bright Side reported.
Because Hayes no longer had an address in the Lakota Local School District, the school ordered him withdrawn. Burnside let him keep attending class and eating in the cafeteria while a longer-term solution was sought.
The district had questions. Officials asked why Hayes was on school property, how he was getting lunch and what liability could arise now that he was no longer enrolled, Hoodline reported.
What happened next
Burnside was placed on administrative leave on November 1, 2024. Local reporting described the district investigation as involving his assistance to Hayes.
The district’s stated concerns included insubordination and failure to follow directives, IndiaTimes reported.
The school board accepted Burnside’s resignation that same month, Bright Side reported.
Burnside acknowledged that his communication with the district could have been better, Bright Side reported. He maintained that he wanted to help a student he and the school cared about.
Burnside and his wife, Angel, spoke with Hayes’ biological mother before pursuing a permanent arrangement, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported. In February 2025, the couple became Hayes’ permanent legal guardians.
Bright Side called it permanent custody. It noted that some social media posts described the arrangement as an adoption, which is not the same thing.
Hayes joined a full household of brothers and sisters, Black News reported. He finished his schooling at Kings High School after leaving Lakota East.
After graduating, Hayes worked as a car mechanic and hoped to build a career in aviation.
Readers who saw the story piled on the praise. “This is what real leadership looks like: seeing the person behind the problem and choosing to help,” one Bright Side commenter wrote.
Another wrote: “The school district you worked, should have been honored to have you as a principal.”
On September 26, 2026, IndiaTimes reported that Burnside had been unable to find another principal job. He was working as a training and compliance manager for a workwear supply company.
