ATLANTA — Channel 2 Action News was there when media mogul Tyler Perry announced he would donate $100,000 to Booker T. Washington High School following a mold and raw sewage problem at the Atlanta school.
Nzinga Hendricks, a band student from Booker T. Washington HS, was invited to talk about the mold problems affecting their uniforms at V-103 radio station Tuesday morning, where Perry was a guest. One of the students said she explained the problems to Perry, who then said he would take care of it.
“We saw Tyler Perry before we came in here, and he said he was going to take care of everything, and that’s like over $100,000. And we were just like, ‘what?’ It was like one of those impromptu, ‘Sure, whatever’, like it wasn’t that big of a deal. He just gave it. It was just really, really cool,” Hendricks said.
Perry said he's happy to help the students.
"It's more important how it makes them feel. I want to make sure that I'm doing what I can to help people, so it's awesome that these kids are getting together," Perry said.
Parents documented the problems by taking pictures of mold coating the band uniforms and what appeared to be raw sewage seeping from the floor.
Atlanta Schools associate superintendent Steve Smith told Channel 2 Action News in August the mold has been a huge problem this year due to heavy rains. But the school has addressed the issue.
"The school is safe and under no conditions would we allow our students to attend if it was not the case," Smith explained.
The students told Channel 2 Action news the uniforms cost $85,000, but Perry is kicking in a little extra.
WSBTV
