How a school principal is using a laundry to fight bullying
A high school principal has installed a laundry on campus to fight bullying and stop students from missing classes.
Akbar Cook, the principal of West Side High School in New Jersey, told WABC that students at his school were skipping classes in fear of being bullied over their dirty clothes.
One student claimed she didn’t go to school because she didn’t want her bag to be checked on campus – she’s homeless and her bag is full of unwashed clothing.
With some students missing three to five days a month, Mr Cook decided to discuss the absenteeism with his colleagues.
“I said, what better way to help my kids and remove that barrier then to get them some washing machines and dryers,” he told NJ.com.
Mr Cook has only been in the job for about two weeks but already he has installed washers and dryers in the locker room so that students can do laundry on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
The school term starts on September 4, but some students are already using the appliances.
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Kalim Harvey-Belcher, 16, said he missed a few days in the last school year because his clothes were dirty.
“With the laundromat, it’ll be a benefit to students because they’re still getting their education and they’re getting their clothes cleaned,” he said.
Mr Cook said a teacher will be assigned in a nearby room while students do their laundry so they can study while waiting for their washing.
He wrote on Facebook, “the love” for the laundromat is “incredible”.
“Our kids feel it,” he wrote.
Mr Cook hopes other schools will adopt the idea.
Educators seem to be making headlines for all the right reasons at the moment.
The history teacher shared a plea on social media, calling for other teachers to donate their leave entitlements as he exhausted his own sick days while undergoing surgery and chemotherapy for stage-three colon cancer.
