Lakota East Principal Robert Burnside announced Friday that he would be resigning amid an investigation into his assistance to a former homeless student. According to Burnside, the decision was for “personal reasons” and will go into effect on January 30th, 2025.

Over the next few months, Burnside will not be present at Lakota East High School; instead, Burnside plans on using a combination of paid leave, sick days, and unpaid leave in order to fulfill retirement credit, according to his attorney. The position is presumably open to new hires and will see a replacement by the time Burnside has left the district.

On the first of November, the Lakota Board placed Burnside on paid administrative leave in order to conduct an investigation based on “a concern” that had been brought to the district’s attention. On November 7th, Burnside participated in a meeting with district administrators and was asked questions regarding where the child was sleeping, how he was getting food, how the student was getting to East, and so on. 

In a statement released late Friday, Burnside released a statement to parents, thanking them for their support and Lakota’s contributions to his career.

“I am grateful beyond measure for the outpouring of support that I have received and I certainly have a desire to take the lessons from this period in time and to return to become an even better leader in the future…in the interest of my personal health, the well-being of my family, and to avoid creating divisiveness within the Lakota school community, I have made the decision to step down as the principal of Lakota East High School.”

The student, however, may have another layer of legal trouble in store for Lakota; under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987, students cannot be unenrolled for simply being homeless. The student who Burnside attended to, however, was unenrolled, leaving many wondering how Lakota allowed this to happen. The district has left no comment to any news sources about this and may have to seek legal action to clarify what happened to the student.

Burnside, who has been the principal at Lakota East High School since 2021, has worked at Lakota since the district split in 1997, first as an English teacher, then transitioning to administrative roles, including associate principal at the Lakota East Freshman Campus. Burnside has commonly been referred to as a beloved staff member, loved by students and community members alike. His removal has received wide backlash from the community, with East students and alumni taking a stance against Lakota’s decision. Commenters on the Cincinnati Enquirers Instagram post called the decision “disappointing…removing a really good staff member for doing a good thing.” 

One Lakota East Junior told The West Press that the situation simply made him “confused on what he did wrong; he was a good man helping out a student in need.” Zavyer Lagrandier, who has now spent two years with Burnside as his principal, described him as “always willing to talk in the halls, always smiled and said hi when students walked by. He was fair and always had the best interests of the students and teachers alike in mind…I commend him for doing what’s right.”

Colin Kunz, a Lakota East alumni who was the Co-President of Lakota East Broadcasting Club and Co-Editor-In-Chief for Lakota East’s “Spark,” got to know Burnside well over his time at the school. 

“Burnside was among the top principals I had in my time at Lakota…He made all students feel good and was never afraid to have a casual conversation with a student about something going on. As an administrator, he did a great job of also acting like a friend to all students.”

When asked about Burnsides’ resignation, Kunz told us that Mr. Burnside was simply trying to do the right thing for the students and staff of the school.

“He was caring for a student in need. I understand to a point that there would be a conflict of interest, which is why I would assume he was asked to resign…this situation was handled poorly. Removing one of the best administrators in the district for this just doesn’t seem right to me.”

No further statements from Lakota Local Schools or Robert Burnside have been made at this time.