Newark High School Principal Behind Laundry Program Goes Above & Beyond Again
NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) – A high school principal who made headlines when he set up a laundry room in the school has come up with another way to help students from disadvantaged families.
Principal Akbar Cook gave CBS News' Jeff Glor a tour of Newark's West Side High School, where he started a new program called "Lights On."
The school is open from 6 to 11 p.m. on Fridays during the school year and three nights a week in the summer.
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Glor: "6 p.m. to 11 p.m. you're supposed to be home – eating dinner, doing homework, sleeping?"
Cook: "That's not the case… My babies are taking care of their younger siblings. Their parents are either working hard and kind of taking these odd jobs, or the parents are not there at all."
The principal said he's been focusing on students basic needs to help build confidence and improve academic performance.